A Tale of Griffins and Half-Bloods
by Skellyb0nes
Summary: Being a monster is hard enough. Being a monster who needs demigods to help you is even worse. Being a monster who needs help from demigods against other monsters is living hell. And you thought being human was hard. (There are many inconsistencies in here right now, as I originally wrote this back in 2013. I'm currently rereading the books though, so when I edit it will improve.)
1. Prologue

**Just a note before anything begins- this won't be about any of the characters from the books. At most they'll have a cameo or two. For the most part this story is a first draft. I originally wrote the first 10/20 parts back in 2013, so I've rewritten those. Any comments are appreciated, and if you notice something that's not quite in line with the books please do let me know! I'm all up for improving what I have. I will say here again though that the time scale is a bit iffy right now, it doesn't exactly fit in where I say it's meant to go so that'll probably change.**

* * *

I winced in pain, staggering forward a couple of steps. My shoulders were screaming at me, my legs ached, and I felt like I was about to pass out. Which, honestly, seemed like a very real possibility. Ahead of me was the dragon, and I was stumbling right toward it. Yeah. That probably wasn't the best idea. But hey, it's not all my fault. I was in a daze, my mind like a fish in the ocean. Swimming.

Blood trickled down my back and right leg, gushing from the holes in my shoulder and calf. My breath was sharp, the air spiking through my lungs like daggers dipped in acid. To be perfectly honest I wasn't too sure why I was here. I mean, besides the obvious reason- I was ****ing dying.

As if the Half- Bloods would help me. Even in my confused state that one thought was clear. There was no way in the Underworld that the Demigods would aid me. They might put me out of my misery, sure. One quick stab with a Celestial blade would do just fine. Yup, killing was something those demigods did without a second thought. Anything else though? Nope. Especially not for an innocent little monster like me.

So, uh. You may be wondering how exactly I, a wounded monster, ended up here. At Camp Half Blood. Literally the worst place for a monster to be.

Well, dear reader, it's a long story. A very, very, long story.

But, just for you, I suppose I can cut it short.

The most important stuff happened about a week ago, I suppose. I mean everything after my entire life story up until this point. That's important as well, but it would take a couple of years to summarise the short millennia that I had existed. That's right folks, millennia. This is one old monster you're speaking too- you should be honoured.

Anyway. Back to the tale at hand.

Picture this- It's a bright, sunny morning. The beautiful Canadian summer is just as lovely as always. We're in lovely mountain scape, filled with tall, grey peaks that rise from dense forests of deep green conifers. I wasn't too sure of the type- plants have never been my thing, I'm more of a carnivore.

As I was saying, it's a lovely day by all counts. There's no rain or anything, which is always a plus. It started out as any old regular morning- with sleep. See, my… _flock- pride_ , I suppose you humans might call it, well, we were just chillin' as we do. Lounging around on well- sunned rocks, flitting between trees, testing our aerial skills… You know, normal stuff. See? We griffins are a chill bunch, we have no desire to hunt demigods. None at all. There's far too much celestial bronze involved in that venture. Waaaay too much. See, contrary to popular belief, we didn't really enjoy exploding into dust. At least I didn't. It's not very fun. Remind me to tell them that.

Alright so we're just a flock- pride minding our own business, when these _other_ monsters show up. Now we griffins, we're not usually ones for guests. They normally start complaining at the lack of variety in our meals, or our lack of… well, all of the modern luxuries. And the ancient ones, thinking about it. But we're polite people, so we're wary, sure, but we go and say Hi. They say Hi to us as well, and it all seemed quite civil if I do say so myself.

The problems really started when it turned out the other monsters had a bunch of arrows, swords, spears, sickles, and really just a whole range of pointy sharp things. It was roundabout this point that we, the griffins, started to take offence. I can't be the only one who thinks it's rude to thank your hosts with death and murder now, can I?

As you can imagine, all of these dangerous objects… weren't particularly fun. Scratch that, they weren't fun whatsoever. They were painful. I had been with the main flock at the start of the attack- there were about twenty of us in total. I watched as my kin dropped like nails from the sky, barely able to lift themselves to their feet before the monsters slid their sharp blades into their throats.

But of course I'm sure you're all dying to know how I fared. In all honestly? I was lucky. Shot only twice, I managed to drag my sorry feathers away from my home, flying when I could. I left behind me a trail of drying blood and black feathers, and a storm of dust. All that remained of my kin.

The shot to my shoulder had been the most annoying. It hindered my ability to fly, sending sharp daggers of pain down my wings every few hours or so, all the while oozing blood. By the time I crash landed just a mile or so from the base of Half- Blood Hill, the blood flow had become more of a gush as the wound slowly opened itself further.

I don't really know why I thought the Half- bloods would help me. I think I may have been just a tad delirious. Either way, here I am.

The dragon, awakening from its slumber around the base of the pine tree, spat fire in my face as I collapsed before it. I rolled onto my back, looking up at the tree's limbs- noting the fleece on the lowest branch. With a groan I reached behind my back with my left hand, covering my fingers in my own blood. Which, might I add, was starting to stain the ground in a rather lovely shade of crimson. With trembling hands, I wrote four letters on my right arm.

H E L P

Maybe they would understand that.

I blacked out.


	2. 1

**I'm telling you. I'm not a bird.**

I awoke to a renewed sense of pain. Wonderful. Just… wonderful. It felt as though someone had poured salt into my wounds, and then decided to stitch them up, with the salt still inside, and then proceeded to coat the whole thing in vinegar. I opened my eyes slowly, twisting my head to look at my calf, to find that someone had, in fact, put a generous helping of salt into my wounds. There was a small pile of the white crystals at my feet, stained pink with my blood. The stuff that hadn't stuck, I realised.

Brilliant. Half bloods hate me, despite the absolutely nothing I've ever done to them. Well, except for that one time in- I stopped myself, stifling a groan as the pain in my shoulder throbbed.

It was at this point that I noticed the room I was in was pitch black (or at least, as pitch black as a room could be), and that I was chained to a wall. My hands were shackled above my head, my feet only just able to reach the ground beneath.

Did I mention the room was cold? My back was essentially bare- all of the form-shifting and various attacks from the monsters had shredded the shirt I was wearing- and all I could feel was the freezing stone wall behind me. I shuddered involuntarily, aggravating the wound on my shoulder. At least both holes had stopped leaking blood. Before the salt, I might have even received some medical attention. Fancy that. I even noticed the lack of arrow heads digging into my skin.

My arms ached, and I wriggled my fingers to try and get some feeling back into them. I wondered how long I'd been here, chained up in the Camp Half-Blood dungeon. I didn't even know they had a dungeon. You didn't hear much about demigods taking monsters hostage, as well.

I looked up, cursing as I saw the familiar glint of Stygian iron. I shook my hands, the iron shackles clinking together. "Well that's just bloody brilliant," I muttered, mostly under my breath. They certainly didn't keep regular humans here, with shackles like these.

A sigh escaped me as the pain ebbed away, dissipating slowly over my back as I stood still. Sweet relief at last. Then, a thought crossed my mind.

Surely they would have noticed- From the things I'd heard…

I frowned, rattling my chains again. Perhaps… Just… Just maybe they hadn't sensed it. I took a deep breath, bracing myself for the pain that would inevitably follow. I allowed my body to warp back into its normal state- no more of this silly human disguise. The demigods would see just how non-lethal I was. I'd show them. I'd be the KING of harmlessness.

The iron bent, stretching, warping under the stress, before they eventually snapped open, clattering to the ground. It stung my wrists a little, of course, but it was a worthwhile exercise. Even the fancy metals of the Gods couldn't quite hold up to being forced open with unstoppable force from the inside. I screeched in pain as the actual salt in my wounds shifted as I changed shape, kicking myself away from the wall and into the centre of the room, stretching my wings out as much as I could. My right wing was very stiff, the wound at my shoulder making it difficult to move it fully.

After the pain subsided, I heard the sound of footsteps on what sounded like steps. I shook my head, shaking out my feathery mane, trying to get them to lie properly. This always happened, they never lay in the right place.  
The wooden door burst open with the force of someone kicking it. A dark-haired girl strode in, sword brandished like… well, like a sword.

I backed up a little, splaying my wings (alright, splaying my left wing) defensively. The girl stopped where she was, confusion flickering across her features for a split second.

I squawked in what I hoped was a submissive tone, lowering myself slightly so that we met at eye level. She seemed tense, ready to strike at any moment.

"It's rude to point swords at people," I said eventually, catching the grey-eyed lass by surprise.

She faltered slightly, before speaking up herself. "It is?" She raised an eyebrow, "I can't say I've never noticed. No one has ever lived to tell me." She twirled the sword in her hand, demonstrating ample ability to gut me. She was daring me to explain myself, to say one little word out of place.

I readjusted my wings, folding them in now that we'd decided to be a tad more civil. "Aren't you just a little ball of happiness," I said. "Honestly you seem to happy and cheerful and so ready to not murder me and instead treat me to something nice, like a-"

"Why are you here," she paused, looking me up and down. "Cat-bird?"

I blinked my amber eyes at her. "I was going to ask you the same thing, monkey-person." She glared. "I thought I had written "Help" on my arm, not "Chain me up in your weird ass dungeon"."

She looked at me like I was crazy. Or at the very least, delusional. Which I might have been. I wasn't too sure yet. "Dude, I don't know whether you noticed, but you're a monster. This is a safe haven- Lemme repeat- SAFE HAVEN- for half bloods. I mean your disguise was flawless- you nearly had us all fooled- but Chiron sensed your… bird-ness."

"I'm not a bird," I mumbled.

"I don't care. You've shown your true colours now, monster, I won't let you speak a word more-"

"Hold your horses there, girlie. Or should I say man-horses." I chuckled at myself. The half-blood raised her sword threateningly. I stopped. "Alright, I'm surprised Chiron didn't realise I wasn't in my true shape, I'd heard he was good at recognising monsters. Anyway I'm getting distracted here." She nodded in agreement, raising her sword a little to remind me. "You lot would have killed me the moment you saw me like this, being the stabby maniacs that you half-bloods are, wouldn't you? You can't fool me, if even half of the things I've heard about you lot is true… So being the clever little griffin I am, I thought it best to appear in a more familiar shape, y'know? So you don't stab me? Or at least, so there's a chance you won't stab me. It seems to me like that was a good call, as I don't appear to be dead quite yet."

The girl raised an eyebrow, putting a hand on her hip. "See you've missed the most important part of your story here, bird-"

"Griffin."

"Bird." She said again, more forcefully this time. "Why in the Gods' names did you think we would help you? Did you not get the memo? Half bloods and monsters don't mix."

I could think of at least a dozen exceptions to that. I would have said something, but my survival instincts got the better of me, thank gods. "Well you see, I have a problem that only Half-Bloods can solve. And I think you'll want to hear me out. In fact, it's in your best interests." She looked sceptical. "Look, I'll even make myself less dangerous for you." I shifted forms, rearing onto my hind legs as I morphed back into a human shape. I let out a cry of pain as it shot lightning bolts down my back. "I… forgot… about that." I mumbled between gasps.  
I felt the cold of a blade against my throat. "Why should we listen to you, bird?"

"I'm not a bird."

"Well you certainly looked like one."

"I'm a griffin."

"Bird."

"Griffin."

"Bird."

"I'm reasonably sure I'm a griffin."

"You looked like a bird."

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but just because something looks like something else, doesn't mean it actually is that thing. I'm not a human now, am I?"

She made a face, moving a step closer. I took a step back. I'd rather not have my throat slit. Not here, at least. The floors had enough of my blood on them. "For a child of Athena you're awfully dumb," I said.

"Do you want me to hurt you?"

"More than I have already? I mean, I'd rather you didn't, but you can try if you want. Of course then I wouldn't be able to tell you about them."

"… Them?" She parroted, her sword arm relaxing the tiniest bit.

I grinned at her. "Them. You won't be able to find out about them if you stab me here and now."

"What if I don't care?"

I deflated slightly. "Well I mean if you want to bring them upon your little camp. It's not as though I care, I'll only go to… Tartarus…" Crap. I really, really didn't want to go to Tartarus. It sucked there. Bad holiday destination. Would not recommend. Not even to my worst enemy.


	3. 2 -Alyx

**This dude just keeps getting dumber. - Alyx**

I have to admit. I was starting to think sparing this thing's life wasn't a complete waste. A threat to the camp itself was something worth listening to. And if it turned out to be false… Well, let's just say I know a whole camp full of other demigods who would love to slice and dice this monster. We stood there for a few minutes, staring at each other, daring the other to make the first move, trying to intimidate each other. It didn't help that he was at least a foot taller than me. Curse my height.

I sighed, lowering my sword. Slowly, though. I didn't want him to get too comfortable. "Fine." I said in defeat, stepping to the side. "But you're going to walk in front of me, unless you really do want to take a trip to Tartarus, bird."

His momentary look of triumph was wiped off his face and replaced with annoyance. "Jeez. If you just have to call me something other than griffin, then call me Cinder." He took a step forward, mumbling something about unfairness. I grinned to myself. I could have a little fun every now and then.

"Move!" I barked at him. When he didn't move fast enough for my liking, I poked him in the back. I held Skotono before me, prepared (willing AND eager) to stick it in his back if he tried anything. Monsters. Who made monsters? They're just bundles of horrible wrapped up in a deadly exterior. I'd met monsters that liked eating faces, hands, feet, and all kinds of other demigod body parts. If I didn't know any better, I'd think that monsters did nothing but eat demigods. And get killed by us, of course. We did a lot of killing monsters.

The griffin- Cinder- raised his hands up. I smiled as he hunched over a little to try and protect his back. "You lot are nice, aren't you?"

I didn't say anything. The bird shuffled forward as fast as his injured leg would take him- the camp medics had dug out a celestial bronze arrowhead from his calf while he had been unconscious. The wound had been a couple of days old, they'd said. This guy must have been in a fight with demigods. No others used celestial bronze weapons. Not at we knew of, at least. Honestly I was quite surprised the bird could walk, but that's monsters for you. They don't adhere to the same rules as we demigods.

We reached the stairs for the… well, there really was no other way to put it. We reached the stairs for the dungeon, and I had to wait what honestly felt like an eternity for the bird to stop complaining and actually start scaling them. The cells were a new addition. Annabeth- one of my half sisters- had suggest it a couple of weeks ago, and some of the children of Hephaestus had just finished implementing them a few days ago. This was the first time we'd been able to use them. Everyone had been quite excited.

He stopped at the top of the stairs, standing in front of the door as though it were some barrier that was impossible to pass. I jabbed him between his shoulder blades as motivation.

"Whoa there-" he complained. The outline of his head turned to look at me. I assume he glared. I didn't much care. "- Don't dig in too deep or you'll end up with a pile of dust and no useful information."

I shrugged. "Don't tempt me. Now open the door, it's not rocket science."

The bird leaned against the door, opening it. Sunlight poured into the dark little staircase. Finally. Some fresh air. I'd been guarding the monster's cell for a couple of hours now. Actually, I was probably due a shift change.  
I followed him into the warm afternoon, taking a brief moment to enjoy the gentle breeze that whisked through camp, carrying with it the smell of flowers and food. The bird seemed to appreciate the pause, reaching over his shoulder to gingerly press a hand over the wound.

Now we were out in the light, I could see him properly. The most obvious thing about him must have been his height. By human standards, he was a giant. Of course for monsters he must have been about average. He looked like someone that didn't get out in the sun enough- skin pale, very lanky and honestly not looking too athletic. His hair was black, like the feathers that still clung to his dark green T-shirt, the few that had stuck around after he'd changed back into a human shape.

He wasn't facing me right now, instead looking out over the camp. The bird wore knee-length shorts. And sandals. I mean yes, it was summer. But it wasn't… that… warm. Most campers were wandering around in jeans and howdies. Not everyone had arrived yet- there were still half-bloods walking around, wheeling suitcases behind them.

"Do you live somewhere hot?" I asked. He glanced back, his expression quizzical. "Like, tropical? Sun all day every day?"

He tilted his head slightly, "No? Quite the opposite really. What gave you that idea?"

"Well you know, just your entire outfit."

"You're telling me you humans don't wear this in the cold?" His tone was slightly hurt, his face falling a little. Oh gods this guy was serious.

I struggled to keep the disbelief from my face. "Are you serious? Seriously? You thought we wear shorts and sandals in the snow? Have you even been to a shop? Anything, I repeat anything, is better than shorts and sandals."

"I… did think it was a bit cold. I mean you lot don't even have fur or feathers, either."

I must admit I started for a little bit, unable to bring myself to keep moving. A couple of other campers wandered past, staring at the bird. I shook my head to clear it, before I poked him in the back again. "Alright enough of your weirdness, keep moving."


	4. 3 -Cinder

**Why a Barn? - Cinder**

How many times do I have to tell this girl? I'm precious cargo, jabbing celestial bronze swords in my back is not going to keep me undamaged. "Girl watch your sword or so help me, I will-"

Her tone was amused. "Or you'll what?"

I kept walking, my mouth open slightly. It just struck me that maybe threatening the stab-crazed demigod who had a gods damned sword pointed at my back was maybe not quite the best idea. "I… will… uh, hug? You?" The faint smell of strawberries became apparent. I'm surprised I hadn't smelt them earlier, my senses are normally quite keen. I guess that's what happens when you get shot. Multiple times. And are sorta bleeding out. You know, I'm not actually sure if monsters can bleed out… We're a bit weird, you see? And I'd never died from blood loss before. Normally it was something more like decapitation, or mass stabbing of the organs with arrows. Once I got hit with a catapult. No, not a projectile. An actual catapult.

"Hug me and a sword in your back will be the least of your worries," she growled, holding the sword to my skin for a bit longer than before, making her point (ha ha I'm a genius) quite clear.

I could see our destination now. Or at least, I think I could. The only thing in front of us was a barn. A big, red barn. I mean it was nice, don't get me wrong, but I was expecting something more… human? Like a house or something.

"Why are we going to a barn?" I was sceptical. Surely the grand building from which Camp Half Blood was organised wasn't just a barn. Please tell me it wasn't. I'll get second-hand embarrassment for all the monsters felled by these barn-dwelling teens.

Honestly, I think I could feel her rolling her eyes behind me. "Oh come on. Every single monster knows about this. After the battle with Kronos last year…"

"The battle with who now?" I knew the name Kronos, of course. But he's been in Tartarus for longer than I've existed. There's no way these demigods had fought him- much less last year. It would take centuries for the titan to build up that much strength.

Her tone turned cold. "Don't feign innocence," she snarled, voice going quiet. "Every single monster was involved- and we for sure didn't have any… birds… on our side."

I turned around, hands raised, blinking at her. "Girl I've got no clue what you're on about." It was the truth. We griffins… well, let's just say we don't get out much. We don't really… mix… with other monsters too much. They mostly just leave us alone. Same with half-bloods. I personally hadn't seen one in about five hundred years.

The girl's eyes narrowed. She bit her lip, glaring at me. "Keep moving." She ordered, nodding toward the barn.

She still hadn't answered my question.


	5. 4 -Cinder

**The Horse-man and the Bird-Cat. - Cinder**

The barn was… well, the barn was big. At first I'd thought it was pretty small. Distances do that, y'know? But no, as we got closer I realised it was indeed a massive barn. The paint on its walls was peeling a little, the wood beneath seemed dry and sun-bleached.

The demigod opened the door for me to enter, still holding her sword within stabbing distance of my behind.  
You know what they say. Never judge a book by its cover. Looks can be deceiving. All that stuff. It applied to the barn. Inside it was rather nicely decorated, if I do say so myself. Its interior did not give off a barn vibe. I nodded slowly to myself as I looked around, appreciating the various pieces of furniture, the decorations, all that stuff.  
I almost didn't notice the other people here, one sitting in a wheelchair, the other on a sofa. They were both playing pinochle. A few moments passed as I stared at the strange pair, before realising the non-wheelchair-ridden one was a God. Right. I should have noticed that sooner.

The man in the wheelchair smelt strangely like horse. Might I just say that I hadn't eaten in a couple of days at this point. I was starting to feel the vague hints of hunger, and I'm not ashamed to admit that this human was starting to look a tad appetising. I couldn't help but look at him hungrily. He looked up, completely ignoring me, and addressed the demigod.

"Alyx! Why are you here? I thought you were on guard duty?"

I felt hurt. I was being ignored. The God turned where he sat, leaning back to watch the events unfold. I hadn't seen the Gods all that much, but I was relatively sure that this was Dionysus. I'd heard he'd been banished to Camp Half-Blood.

"Turns out you were right, the monster broke out of its chains," the girl- Alyx, I assumed- stated. She crossed her arms, shooting me a sideways glare.

Oh see now that was even worse- they were purposefully ignoring me.

"Hm," horse man said, "How did it manage that?" His tone was casual, tired, even. I wouldn't have been surprised if monsters raging around camp was normal for these people with how they were reacting to this news.

"For all you know I could be out there murdering half bloods, and killing things," I said, gesturing behind me, "And you ask how I escaped?"

"It can shape shift," she said, "It becomes a massive bird."

"Maybe I've been misunderstanding the other monsters until now," I pondered, "Maybe that's what I've been missing out on, all these years."

Horse man and Alyx both looked at me. Alyx raised a questioning eyebrow. "Missing out on what?"

"Eating you lot," I said cheerfully. "Other monsters seem to have so much fun, I honestly don't know why I've never tried it. This must be what my life has been missing- maybe it's why they came after us, to share the joys of demigod eating."

"What is it with you and these "them"? You were cryptic enough the first time, so just spit it out."

The horse-man stepped out of his wheelchair, and spoke- Wait a second. Stepped out of his wheelchair? Then his horse legs emerged. Oh. Right. Centaur. I'd forgotten what Chiron looked like- I'd only ever seen him from a distance, anyway. That would explain the horsey smell. I have to admit, I was a little disappointed. "Them?" He sounded unimpressed.

Alyx spread her hands. "Thank you! That's exactly how I feel. Suddenly, out of nowhere, just as I was about to slit its throat, it started jabbering on about "them"." She pointed to me, looking at Chiron. "I didn't just want to kill him without first bringing him here, but-"

I took a step forward. The demigod went silent. I looked the centaur straight in the eye, standing tall and proud despite my situation. Dionysus watched with a bored expression, sipping a glass of strange bubbling brown liquid that wasn't even alcoholic. What happened to being God of wine? "Centaur. You're technically a monster. Like me, I'm technically a monster." Chiron narrowed his eyes. I could tell he didn't like being called a monster.

Oh joy, we had something in common. "Don't look at me like that. We both know that there are some centaurs who quite gladly kill humans and demigods. Just like there are griffins-" I emphasised the word griffin, breaking eye contact to give a pointed glare at Alyx. "-That do the exact same. But, just like you, there are centaurs who will not kill unless they have an awfully good reason to do it. Now I ask you, why can this logic not apply to me?

"I swear on the river Styx that I have never mortally wounded a human- demigods included- that left me be and let me get about my own business." I paused, taking a breath. "I came to this place- where I know full well that I am despised- seeking help, shelter even, and bringing a warning. I am desperate." My voice took a more sorrowful tone as I remembered the massacre I had witnessed days ago, before shifting to one more spiteful as I spoke my next words. "You cannot deny my words, Centaur. While the centuries have remembered your kind favourably, and mine… less so, you cannot deny the truth."


	6. 5 -Alyx

**Not the Best Idea. - Alyx**

Chiron looked unimpressed, to say the least. His face was devoid of its usual kindliness, his eyes instead stern and unforgiving. He looked at the bird in silence. It was the expression that took residence on his face whenever a camper was trying to pass blame for some incident onto another, when it was quite clearly their fault. The bird seemed oblivious- it just kept talking. Was this thing stupid?

The further Cinder got into his little speech- as he started questioning Chiron's own opinions, I came to a conclusion. Yes. Yes this bird very much was stupid. The pair of them stood silently when the bird finished, staring at each other for a while.

To his credit, my centaur mentor (I am great at rhymes) had listened intently and carefully, allowing the bird to rant and rave at him. After a minute or so of silence, he nodded slightly. "Tell your story, tell us who 'they' are."

Cinder narrowed his eyes in suspicion, regarding the centaur carefully. "How do I know you're not just gonna shove me back into that cell? You'll need some new shackles by the way."

Alright, maybe he wasn't completely stupid. Just mostly. Almost entirely.

"Because I give you my word," the centaur replied.

The bird crossed his arms. "That's not enough." It was a strange change from the childishly silly man we'd encountered only a couple of minutes ago.

Chiron spread his arms in faux apology. "I'm afraid that's the best you're going to get," he said. "I don't think you're in much of a position to bargain at the moment."

Cinder was quiet for a moment. I suppose he was weighing up his odds, trying to figure out whether he'd be able to escape again. Then, he gave his reluctant answer, which was accompanied with a scowl. "Fine."

About a minute passed, and the bird still hadn't started. Chiron shifted his weight to another hoof, and Mr D. looked bored. "Well?" I asked impatiently.

"Be patient woman," the griffin said, glaring at me again. Back to the dumb monster. He took an overly-dramatic breath, before he finally started. "As you might have noticed, I wasn't in the best of states when I arrived at your rather lovely camp," he said, stretching his arms as he spoke. "That's not really my fault though, I'd flown… what, a hundred… miles? Is that what they're called? Anyway, I'd flown an awfully long way with a couple of arrows sticking out of me at various angles, and-"

"Humans can fly now?" A voice said- Mr D. had spoken, interrupting the bird.

Said bird looked rather annoyed, and his eyes shifted to the Camp Director. "No, they can't. But I happen to not be a human. I'm a Griffin, in case you hadn't heard my rather lovely speech earlier-"

"Prove it." The wine God sounded unimpressed. "Anyone can claim they're something they're not."

Cinder looked toward me.

"You'd better show him," I said, shaking my head.

"In here?" He asked, gesturing to the space around him. "You want me to change shape- to one that might I just add is just a tad larger than my current form- inside this room?"

"You got a problem with that?"

"I don't like confined spaces."

"Right. Prove it."

"Bu-"

The God's expression shifted to annoyance, and he glared at the bird.


	7. 6 -Cinder

**I proved it. What now? - Cinder**

I sighed. "Can't I just-"

The God shook his head. "You're this close to being turned into a dolphin." He held up two fingers with barely a hair's breadth between them.

I gulped, and took a deep breath. Fine. They wanted me to change in here, that was their problem. Not mine. I cracked my knuckles, spreading my feet slightly, and then I let myself shift back.

For the third time that day (that I was aware of at least) I changed form. My feathers and fur grew back, the clothes I was wearing seemingly melting into my skin. My bones clicked into place, and wings emerged from my shoulder blades. I winced at the pain as my wound was agitated, before I settled where I was. My head was ducked to stay underneath the ceiling, wings folded tightly against my back. A couple of knick knacks were knocked off the shelf beside the door by my tail's sudden appearance, and the floor beneath my feet was scratched as my claws grew in.

The horse-man watched my curiously, while the God seemed uninterested.

"I am I permitted to continue?" I growled, my tail flicking from side to side, knocking another ornament from the shelf. Two to go.

Chiron didn't move for a moment, before he nodded, "Go ahead."

The demigod rolled her eyes. "Bird."

I made sure she saw my glare. "As I was saying, I flew a very long way to get here. In less than a week might I add. While injured. I dragged myself down here where it is positively tropical compared to my home, and I passed out on your lovely hill over there with that marvellous dragon. Who, can I just say, tried to eat me."

My audience seemed unfazed by this little piece of information. Alyx even seemed to grin. How dare she.

"So why are you here?" Chiron asked, "Why, of all places, did you choose Camp Half-Blood?"

I shrugged. Or at least, I did the griffin equivalent to a shrug, which involved lifting my wings and spreading them slightly. It was difficult to do in the confined space. "Because, my dear man-horse, we share a common enemy. That I couldn't very well take my monster related problems to other monsters. I'm here because I was attacked with a mixture of regular and celestial bronze arrows by what could only be monsters."

Alyx spoke this time, "So what makes you think we're going to be stepping in between some monster on monster fights? You're just making our lives easier by killing each other off."

"Under normal circumstances? I would agree with you wholeheartedly. I mean if you Half-Bloods started fighting amongst yourselves I would be the last to get involved. But these are not ordinary circumstances. Before the carnage began, before my kin started to fall from the sky in clouds of dust and blood, our… Elders, I suppose you'd call them, met with the army's leaders." I paused, taking a breath. "They spoke for a little while- I could only hear snatches- and they spoke of recruitment. Preparing for some great event. From what I understood they were gathering an army in advance to fight for something powerful, against, you guessed it, the Gods, and the Half-Bloods. The Elders refused. My flock disliked taking part in any of these wars. We'd said the same thing to that Luke fellow a couple of years back. He at the very least had the decency to leave us be after our brief encounter. Anyway, the army didn't take too kindly to our refusal. That's when they started shooting at us, and that's when we started tearing their flimsy bodies to pieces.

"But there weren't nearly enough of us, and so we perished. All except me, as far as I know."

"You deserted?" the demigod asked, smirking.

My eyes were cold and hard this time. Her smile faded almost immediately. "My family, my friends, were dying around me. I had arrows sticking from me, celestial bronze arrows, might I add, which really hurt. I saw no others who remained standing, I was alone. Instead of doing the stupid thing and charging blindly to certain death I decided I would seek revenge for my flock. Which, sadly, meant flying for days to reach this little camp. I refuse to let this army have their way, sending those I hold dear to a place such as Tartarus." I spat the word out, digging my talons into the floorboards just a tad more as I said it.

"So do you bring us any information on this threat? Any names?" The centaur said, before Alyx got in another snide comment.

I shook my head. "The best I can give you is this warning, and my assurance that these people mean business. Never before has my flock been… massacred like that. We're no regular pacifists, we hunt, and on the few occasions we do fight, we normally win."


	8. 7 -Alyx

**We await the judgement of the Immortals. I hope he dies. - Alyx**

Chiron exchanged glances with Mr D, who still seemed rather unimpressed. If I wasn't mistaken, however, I did detect a slight hint of worry somewhere deep within his eyes. My insides twisted. Both of the immortals looked deadly serious. Maybe there was more to the bird's story than I'd given him credit for.

After a few moments of silence, Chiron looked back at Cinder, who looked rather uncomfortable with his head bowed. The second to last ornament on the shelf behind him was getting dangerously close to the edge, beneath which lay a small pile of broken china.

"We must convene," he said simply. "For now, Alyx?" He looked toward me.

"Yes?"

"Take him to the Apollo cabin, have them finish treating his wounds. Afterwards, take him to the Arena. We need to know the extent of his combat skills so that we may estimate the power of this force." Chiron said. The centaur rarely gave orders- instead, he would suggest things, and for the most part us campers were happy to oblige. This time I detected a more commanding tone to his voice.

I nodded, turning toward the bird, sheathing my sword. He'd escaped its blade for now. Chiron had evidently decided his information was useful, and would therefore be no cause to kill him.

The centaur and the God had started to make their way out of the room, toward one of the other rooms in the converted barn. "Do try and make sure he doesn't die though, Alyx. It would be inconvenient if our only source of information on this potential threat were to explode into dust," Chiron said as they left.

I sighed. There goes that plan.

Cinder carefully turned toward me, the last two ornaments plunging to their death as the griffin's deadly tail brushed past them with just a little too much force. I winced as they smashed to the ground, before turning to glare at the monster. "Mr D. isn't in the room anymore, bird. You can change back to a less obtrusive shape," I told him, turning toward the door. I wasn't too happy about being stuck on escort duty. I had sword training I could be doing. I stepped outside.

The griffin limped to catch up with me, back in human shape for the trip across camp. I shot him another glare as I started toward the cabins for good measure. The griffin had been oddly quiet for a few minutes now, not questioning the order to fight in the arena, or the visit to the Apollo cabin.

"No swords this time?"

Damn it. Spoke too soon. "Keeping my sword drawn on you would only make that much easier to stumble and 'accidentally' skewer you," I said. I could feel the eyes of other half-bloods on us as we passed the volleyball courts. I hated being the escort.

He took a rather obvious step away from me, keeping at least three meters between us at all times.

We walked in silence for a little longer, the cabins slowly growing closer. "So you've said a number of times that this place was your last resort. Your 'only hope' I believe you said at some point."

"Well not quite my only hope, but close enough, yes."

"How did you know we wouldn't just dust you right there and then?"

He was quiet for a moment. "I didn't," he muttered quietly, looking to the ground. "But I had no other choice. Every option had the potential to send me to Tartarus. My particular flock… well, we're not favourites among other griffins and monsters. They try to recruit us over and over again, sure, but our constant refusals have made many bitter. And lone griffins… well, let's just say if a griffin is alone it's not for a good reason. If I had stayed away and tried to make do on my own I would bleed to death and end up a pile of dust. If I tried to find some monsters to bunk with, they'd most likely slay me and I'd also end up a pile of dust." He gave a short laugh. "You lot were my best hope. Funny that, a load of half-bloods were my best choice of allies."

"… Why are you so scared of Tartarus?"

He stopped in his tracks. I went a couple of steps before stopping as well, turning. He was looking at me, yellow eyes (which were honestly the only part of him that didn't look human) wide with disbelief. "Are you kidding?" he said, voice matching his expression, "It's Tartarus. It's literally the most hellish part of hell that you could ever have the misfortune of winding up in. It's filled with unfriendly things such as other monsters that I'm pretty sure I just said want to kill me.

"Trust me, demigod, if you ever go to Tartarus you'll understand why I choose half-bloods over it."


	9. 8 -Cinder

**I get healed. Finally. - Cinder**

She didn't ask me anything else after that.

We reached the cabins soon after- an odd assortment of buildings that easily reflected the Gods they belonged to. Talk about arrogant. Each one seemed flashier than the last, crowding your mind, fighting for your attention. The one we headed to- the cabin for the God Apollo- seemed to radiate gold light. It made a sort of sense, I guess. He was God of the sun.

Alyx knocked on the cabin's door, waiting patiently as the footsteps from inside slowly got closer. A kid of around 15 answered, grinning. His hair was a rather shocking shade of blond.

"'Sup Alyx?" he asked, looking between us. When he saw me, his grin faded a bit. "Oh. They decide what to do with him?"

The girl shrugged, looking back at me as well. I felt like I was at a zoo. It wasn't a very pleasant feeling.

"Nope, not yet. They're 'convening'," she explained, "Chiron told me to bring him here to get fixed up."

The kid nodded, grabbing a bag from some surface just inside the door, before stepping out. He shut the cabin door behind him. "Let's take a look."

We sat on a bench in the common area in the middle of the cabins. The kid cleaned the remaining salt from my wounds, picking out the last remaining flecks of celestial bronze. Almost immediately I felt better. The bronze had that effect on monsters- attacks that didn't quite kill left traces of the foul metal. It was like a poison, slowing our healing considerably. It normally took months for all of it to work its way out. Griffins, at least, didn't have the best medical care. This child of Apollo though, he seemed to know what he was doing.

"You should have some of this," he said as he put the cloth he'd been using back in the bag. He held out a small piece of food. I recoiled slightly as he offered it, shuddering.

"No thanks man, the food of the Gods would only negate any and all healing you've done," I said.

The kid frowned, glancing at Alyx. "You can't?"

"The key is in the title. "Of the Gods"," I said, stretching my arms. It didn't hurt nearly as bad now. "Monsters aren't exactly "of the Gods"."

He went pale. I think he'd forgotten I was a monster, poor dude. "R-right. Let me stitch you up-"

I shook my head. "I'll heal just fine now, no stitches or anything required."

Alyx looked at me warily. "Chiron said you're not to die until we've got all the information we need from you." Wow, I feel so valued here.

I shrugged. "I heal fast, perks of being a monster. As long as there's no more celestial bronze- which there isn't, by the way, so thank you- I'll heal up in a jiffy." I stood, jumping on the spot a few times. "See? Doesn't hurt a bit now."

Both demigods watched me with concern, before the Apollo guy shrugged, and stood as well. "I guess my work is done here?" he said, looking toward Alyx, who nodded. "I'll be… in cabin 7 if you need me."

He walked off, back to the blindingly gold cabin, leaving me with Alyx. Shame, he seemed much more tolerable.

"Follow me," the girl grumbled, starting off again. "It's time for the arena."


	10. 9 -Alyx

**Does the stupidity ever end? - Alyx**

Neither of us spoke on our way to the arena. We moved faster, at least. The bird wasn't limping now. I'd seen fast recoveries before, but this…?

As we approached I became aware of the sound of chattering. From within the structure before us came the sound of human voices, talking to one another excitedly. A frown flickered across my face. The griffin looked at me for answers, and I shrugged. I suppose word had gotten around. And word gets around fast here at Camp Half-Blood.

We entered the arena, stepping through the gates into the main battleground. Sitting in the rings were a lot of other demigods, too engrossed in their own conversations to notice us just yet. Cinder looked around nervously, obviously noticing the metallic glints of celestial bronze and stygian iron weapons, all held in the hands of the half bloods.

I grinned at him mischievously, walking toward the other side of the arena. I turned as I spoke to him, continuing to walk backwards. I almost had to yell to be heard over the noise. "Wait here bird, I've got to get my armour."  
He looked worried, standing there as the demigods finally noticed him, and the stands went quiet. I turned back toward the gate, flicking my brown hair over my shoulder, and went into one of the rooms hidden beneath the stands. I retrieved a set of the armour left here for duels and such, putting it on as fast as I could. The stands were still silent.

I took a deep breath, drawing my sword, before I stepped back out into the open.

Cinder still stood where I had left him, yellow eyes darting from face to face. He was tense, feet in a ready position. Ready for what, I wasn't entirely sure. The guy didn't have any sword or anything to fight with in a human form.

A cheer erupted from my half-siblings as they saw me emerging from the sheltered room on the opposite side of the arena. I raised Skotono above my head, and Cinder's gaze snapped back to me. Even in the afternoon sun his eyes seemed to glow slightly.

I smiled at the bird, before I addressed the crowd. "Are you ready to see this monster dusted?" I yelled.

They yelled back their affirmations, some raising weapons and clanging them on accompanying shields.

Cinder still watched me, his head slightly tilted. "You're going to want to change form, bird," I said to him, slightly quieter so only the closest half-bloods could hear.

At first I didn't think he'd heard me- he just stood there, unmoving. Then he shrugged, visibly relaxing. I had to hide the frown that spread across my face when he didn't change.

"So be it," I muttered to myself, before raising my voice to a yell again. "Are you ready, bird?"

"Are you ready?" He yelled back. I could see him grinning, the bastard. What was he so cocky about? He didn't even have a sword, and he seemed to be sticking in his human shape for now.

Grumbling, I advanced. I twirled my sword in my hand. The crowd had gone quiet, watching the two of us carefully.


	11. 10 -Cinder

**The demigod immediately regrets her decision. - Cinder**

The sunlight glittered from her blade, sparkling beautifully. I imagine it would have been pretty if it wasn't a weapon made of pure murder, wielded by a girl filled with, you guessed it, pure murder.

I stood in place, watching as she got closer, step by step. Within a few moments she was within stabbing range, and she raised her sword to do so. Behind the exterior confidence, I saw confusion behind her eyes. She didn't quite understand why I wasn't moving. I couldn't help but smile. See, we griffins have two forms. Or at least, some of us do. Okay maybe it's really just me, but that's beside the point. I was born with this. I don't have a 'stronger' version of myself. Sure, I call my griffin self my true form, but that's only really because I view myself as a griffin. It feels more natural, sure. But that doesn't mean I can't fight as a human.

See, when fighting other sentient creatures, they don't expect proficiency with two different forms. Normally they don't even expect my two different forms at all, and are caught off guard when I suddenly walk on two legs and am much, much smaller.

The demigod lunged forward, and I quickly stepped out of the way. Unencumbered by metal, I was considerably faster. She twisted around, swiping her blade back toward me. I ducked beneath it, coming up a foot or so from her face, grinning.

Her eyes narrowed in annoyance, and she hopped backwards, changing her grip on her sword slightly. She charged again, this time slightly faster than before. She nicked my t-shirt as I dodged, adding another hole to it. Note to self- find a new T-shirt. At this point the shirt I wore was more hole than cloth, and it was covered in my blood.

She slashed again, and I had to twist awkwardly to avoid the blade. This time it was my turn to take a few steps back. I grinned at her again, before I let myself shift.

Okay so I know I said both forms were basically equal. That's a bit of a lie- when I have wings, I can fly. Humans can't. Honestly, I can live with being a bigger target if I get a whole new plane to move on.

Alyx faltered slightly when she turned to find me, the feathery bird- I mean, the griffin. I stretched my wings experimentally, pleased to discover that it no longer hurt. Thank the Gods. Well, more accurately, thank the Apollo kid. Before I had time to properly admire the complete lack of pain, Alyx was upon me again, sword at the ready, aiming to take advantage of my new sluggishness.

I imagine she was disappointed to find out there was no sluggishness. I dodged her blow just as easily as before, using my wings to help propel me away, my tail helping to balance me.

"Are you going to attack?" She goaded, her breathing a little heavier. She was putting some real power behind her strikes, aiming to stop me with one swing, as she found them so difficult to land.

I tilted my head, my ears pricking up. She wanted an attack? "Are you sure, little demigod?"

She looked at me with annoyance, "I wouldn't ask if I wasn't."

I opened my mouth slightly, showing the sharp teeth that lined my beak. "As you wish," I growled. I launched myself forward before she was able to react, my wings pounding the air. She wasn't able to raise her sword high enough, and I pressed down on it with one paw, tightening my talons around her shoulders at the same time. The sword clattered from her hands, as she was unable to lift my entire weight as I pushed it away from her.

She let out a rather undignified yelp as I lifted us both into the air, rising upwards with the struggling demigod wriggling in my claws.

"L-let me down!" She cried suddenly, all of her bravery deserting her. We had risen above the arena, and I looked down at her.

"Scared, little demigod?" I asked. Of course I realised the position of power I was in right now. All of a sudden, the tables had turned. This was my domain. "Starting to regret your previous threats yet? Think of how easy it would be for me to… 'accidentally' loosen my grip," I purred, releasing my hold a little. She let out a squeal most unfitting of a child of Athena, lifting her own hands and clamping them around my right foreleg. I winced slightly- that was my wounded side. I tightening my grip once more. I wouldn't have dropped her, if you're wondering. I knew that any fatalities I caused would immediately result in a griffin hunt, and my grudge against the monsters far outweighed any petty revenge I desired upon the girl.


	12. 11 - Alyx

**Nothing like a life or death situation to start an argument. - Alyx**

So besides spiders, which was an understandable fear for every child of Athena, the only thing I was scared of was heights. Especially when said heights were with nothing to stand on, and a monster I had just so happened to annoy earlier that day. I was seriously regretting my decisions earlier. The bird was out to get me, with a vengeance.

My hands were tight around his scaled leg, just above his wrist. He seemed to be enjoying this.

The other demigods, my fellow campers, were yelling at Cinder. I hazarded a glance down, seeing some of them ready bows, ready to shoot at the griffin. I tried to swallow my fear. If any of them actually shot- if any of them hit Cinder… I had no doubt he would drop me, even if he didn't turn into dust. He held back none of his dislike for demigods. He made it very clear that he was only here because he had no other choice.

I looked at the claws digging into my shoulders. The huge, black, sharp, talons. I would have complained about the pain, but I was too busy being terrified for my life. His claws were the only thing stopping me from plummeting from my death, and he'd shown me just how easily he could just… let go.

My grip tightened further, and I squeezed my eyes shut. The wind whistled around my ears, an ever-present reminder that I was not in my favoured position. In a quiet voice, I spoke again. "Please put me down."

The griffin bent his neck to look at me, his face upside-down. "You really don't like heights, do you?" He asked, teasing gone from his voice, replaced with curiosity.

"You win-" I started, shuddering.

"You surrender?"

I only managed to nod.

I could feel his legs move as he shrugged, and he looked back ahead of us. We'd been circling the arena, slowly gaining height as he sought to torment me. At my nod, however, he had started to descend again, no longer flapping his wings, instead gliding in large circles, spiralling back toward the ground. When I opened my eyes again, we were almost there, losing speed as he started to come to a halt.

It was only now that I realised we hadn't actually left the bounds of the arena. He'd stayed within its walls, technically, as the arena had no roof to speak of. He had ample chance to take me high up and drop me, or even fly off with a hostage demigod. But he hadn't. He'd kept his word, not harming a demigod. He hadn't even attacked me directly with his claws or teeth. Maybe- just maybe- the bird was trustworthy. Or at least, he wasn't entirely evil. Not like most monsters.

He put me down as gently as he could. I still stumbled and fell into the dust of the arena's floor, while he gracefully touched down a few meters away, folding his wings neatly against his back.

Almost immediately the other demigods swarmed us, a few of the other campers rushing to me to help me back on my feet, while the rest- my own cabin mates included- surrounded Cinder, swords drawn.

He shook the dust from his mane, feathers sticking out at odd angles here and there. He watched them all with the same yellow eyes he had in human shape, before he looked to me.

My gaze dropped to the ground that I had until recently been lying on. "He won," I said quietly.

Annabeth looked at me from the half-bloods surrounding the griffin, her grey eyes hiding their confusion. "He's a monster," she said, accurately summarising the thoughts of every other camper here. "He can't win."

"He can," I answered, "And he did. Chiron said he was not to be killed- I was only to test his skills. And besides, he's done nothing wrong." I looked back at her, glancing toward Cinder.

Her confusion rose to the surface for a split-second. "He's a monster," she repeated, "It's not what he has done, it's what he could do, and has the potential to do. Monsters kill half-bloods."

"Only when they shove swords in my face," the griffin grumbled, his tail flicking from side to side, like an agitated cat. I suppose it was rather fitting.

"What about Mrs O'Leary?" I was quite surprised at how defensive I sounded. I should have been siding with Annabeth, but against my better judgement I found myself trusting Cinder. "She's a hell hound- Cinder could actually help us, he knows about something that could be coming for us-"

My half-sister's eyes narrowed, now unable to hide the annoyance she was feeling. "Are you out of your mind? Monsters lie- Mrs O'Leary is loyal to her master. This griffin has no such ties. No griffin does."

Cinder changed shape, the half bloods surrounding him not noticing for a few moments. They quickly closed the circle when they did.

I smiled despite myself. "He's not a griffin anymore."


	13. 12 -Cinder

**Horse-man to the rescue! ... That wouldn't be a good superhero name. - Cinder**

Well this whole endeavour wasn't going half as well as I had planned. In fact, it was going nothing like I'd planned. That might have had something to do with my complete lack of plan, but I certainly hadn't expected quite this amount of hostility. Just shows how naive I can be. Note to self- Don't ask for help from Demigods again. No matter how pure your intentions, they will always see you as nothing more than a monster. Although this Mrs O'Leary character intrigued me. I'd have to ask about that later, presuming I survived my current predicament.

I sat- well, stood really- in a the middle of a circle made of celestial bronze and stygian iron. Just the kinds of things that killed me. There swords, spears, bows, battle axes… you name it, if it was an ancient weapon, they had it. And they all pointed at me.

Alex's most recent statement hadn't helped that much, either. I realise now that Half-Bloods aren't too keen on trickery, and my… shape shifting, to put it simply, counted very much as trickery. Especially when one form is an almost perfect imitation of a human.

Things were, quite honestly, going south. Fast. The demigods seemed very reluctant to tolerate my continued alive-ness, let alone my current appearance here.

Thankfully it wasn't up to the demigods.

The sound of hoofs on grass became apparent, a horse moving at full gallop. At the entrance to the arena, Chiron appeared. He almost stopped in his tracks when he saw the complete disorder that had occurred in his absence. The centaur let out a heavy sigh, waving a hand toward the demigods surrounding me. "Leave him be."

The demigod who had been protesting my continued living was staring at Chiron in disbelief, and I could almost see her trying to figure out why he giving these particular orders. Meanwhile, the demigods that surrounded me reluctantly lowered their weapons, some muttering Greek curses in their disappointment.

"Griffin," Chiron addressed me, nodding his head in greeting.

"Man-horse," I answered, dipping my head in thanks.

"Please refrain from calling me that, and I shall refrain from calling you bird, or bird-cat."

"Sorry."

He cleared his throat, straightening his back a little as he looked over the demigods. "Today, as decided my myself and the Camp Director Mr D, marks the beginning of yet another new relationship." He paused, anticipating the groans from the half-bloods in the arena. "This griffin-" he stopped again, looking down at me expectantly. I looked back at him blankly for a couple of seconds, before I realised what he wanted.

"Oh. Uh, Cinder."

"-Cinder, is now recognised as a temporary ally to the camp, and those who reside within." A couple of irritated half-bloods grumbled to each other.

I was quite happy. At least I wasn't going to be killed immediately. I had a chance, at least.

Well, I was quite happy until the damn centaur opened his mouth again. "However, if he attacks any demigod currently known by the camp outside of any camp-sanctioned activities, any status as an ally is lifted, effective immediately." His tone shifted to one less formal, "So you're all free to send him to Tartarus if he misbehaves," he added. He looked toward me, his voice lowering. I didn't like his tone. It made my spine tingle uncomfortably. "Hurt any one of these children, griffin, and you are going straight to the underworld."

I shrugged, "I guessed. You don't need to keep reminding about that place. I've seen enough of it already."

The centaur had been expecting something else, judging by his rather disappointed expression. "Good." He said, eventually. Chiron addressed the campers again. "There is nothing further to see here, please return to your regular activities. Dinner will be at the usual time."

The demigods dispersed slowly, funnelling through the arena's main gate as they left. All except one, that is. Chiron had held Alyx back, to which she had protested greatly. I got the feeling she didn't like me too much. Or at least, she didn't like having to babysit me. The feeling was mutual.

"He picked me up," she stated when the arena was empty. "He lifted me off the ground. I was up there-" she pointed directly upwards, at the open sky.

"Alyx," Chiron started, trying to calm her.

"He threatened to drop me," she cried, pointing at me accusingly.

The centaur turned to me slowly. "Cinder? I do hope we didn't bestow our trust unto you too soon?"

"I did not," I started, shooting the demigod a glare, "I was adjusting my grip. What would you have preferred? Slightly spooked demigod, or demigod pancakes served with fresh blood?" I took a precautionary step backwards, prepared to shift and make my escape. I wasn't too keen on these people. They'd given me nothing but a string on which to cross the entrance to Tartarus, and on either side were demigods ready to slice the thin piece of cloth if I so much as stumbled. But, as Alyx had said, they were what appeared to be my only hope. They were being nice enough to at least give me that piece of string, whereas any other option would have given me a kiddie slide straight into the bottomless depths of the pit.

Chiron seemed to accept this explanation begrudgingly, and turned back to Alyx. "Show the griffin around camp. Tell him what he needs to know, and do make sure he knows where the forest is."

The girl looked slightly puzzled. "Where's he meant to sleep?"

"Think about it," the centaur said as he turned and trotted off.

He left the two of us there standing awkwardly. "Just show me the forest and we can call it quits," I mumbled.  
She shot me another glare- although I could have sworn this one was slightly less menacing than her previous ones- before she turned and started to leave. "Keep pace so we can get this over with."


	14. 13 -Alyx

**Okay, he has some style, I guess. - Alyx**

Despite his suggestion to skip everything and jump straight to the forest, and my own desire to be away from his at last, I did show the bird around the camp. Briefly, that is. I took him to the dining pavilion, the ocean shore, the boating lake, the archery range, and a bunch of other places scattered around. He made sarcastic comments about almost every single one of them. I was seriously regretting deciding to give him the full tour.

Eventually it came time to leave him at the edge of the forest, which rose up on one side of the camp, thick and mysterious, the trees towering up. He seemed rather unimpressed at the whole thing. Oh well, that wasn't my problem. I left him pondering which tree he would take up resting in. I couldn't picture him at the top of a tree.

Anyway. He wasn't my problem anymore. Tomorrow Chiron would find some other poor half-blood to guide him around. I was done. I didn't want anything more to do with the bird. I made my way back to the Athena cabin. There wasn't that long until dinner. I'd told Cinder that- he'd just grumbled. Stupid bird. I lay down on my bed, staring up at the bottom of the bunk above me. Where would he sit? He was a monster- he didn't have a godly parent. Would he even be allowed to sit at one of the tables? What would he even eat? How would he eat it?

Gods damn it, the griffin just wouldn't leave me alone. If he wasn't following me around like some lost puppy, he was causing theoretical problems that I didn't have the answers to. Now that I thought about it, there were an awful lot of questions about the bird. An awful, awful lot. What did we actually know about griffins? I hadn't really thought about their existence that much.

I sighed, picking up the book I was reading from the bag I had tucked beneath my bed, deciding to read to try and distract myself.

As the hour went on, my cabin-mates slowly filtered in, returning from whatever our last activity of the day had been. I didn't speak to any of them- I wasn't sure if they were still annoyed at me after the argument in the arena.  
All too soon came the sound of the horn for dinner. Every stood up, and we went outside and started trudging toward the dinner pavilion. At least the fight from earlier had made me hungry- I was starving. I managed to keep the questions about the griffin banished from my mind, focusing on what we would be eating tonight.

I joined my siblings at our marble table. The entire pavilion was buzzing with chatter, other demigods talking rapidly with each other. Some spoke about the day, but most were enthusing about the appearance of Cinder, and Chiron's declaration at the arena. They hadn't heard the bird's story- I realised I was the only one who actually knew some of the reasoning behind keeping him around.

We had been sitting for a couple of minutes when everything went silent, and a number of other half-bloods started pointing up at the sky. His snarling roar made me jump it was so loud, echoing through the valley and making it all too obvious who was approaching.

Cinder swooped over our heads, diving toward the ground and shifting into human form mere inches from the ground. He landed lightly on his feet, and he turned toward the pavilion. The bird, like most of the other campers, now wore his own Camp Half-blood T-shirt. Mainly because his old green one- which I had discovered said "I'm not picky. I eat all twelve types of demigod!" - was covered in blood and had a lot of holes in it. This was probably for the best.

He strode up to the middle of the dining area, standing before Chiron and Mr. D, who were both at the head table, and he bowed.

The chatter that had started again after his landing stopped, and dead silence descended upon the campers. Never before had I seen somebody bowing before the two of them. Even Mr. D didn't demand that us lowly half-bloods bow before him. I guessed it would have taken too much effort to enforce. It was strange seeing Cinder, of all people, on his knees.

The bird stayed crouched until Chiron waved a hand hesitantly. "Sit where you wish, Cinder. It's not as though you have a cabin to sit with."

Cinder nodded his head, rising slowly. He had a solemn expression on his face. He didn't like bowing- you could see it in his eyes. He turned toward the tables, face changing to a slight smile, scanning them and the faces sitting on the benches. Nobody spoke, waiting to see where he would choose.

After a few short seconds of delay, he strode over to Zeus's table. We collectively decided that made sense. It was an empty table- Thalia Grace didn't attend the camp- and, being a creature of the sky, he belonged to Zeus. As much as monsters could belong to the Gods, at least. I wasn't too sure how that worked.


	15. 14 -Cinder

**Humans. You're all just... so weird. - Cinder**

I hated bowing before a god. And a man-horse. I was a griffin- a proud creature unbound by mortal codes and customs. Bowing to others was not in my nature. It didn't feel right. Alas, sometimes a griffin's gotta do what a griffin's gotta do. They were my gracious hosts- they'd allowed me to remain here, in their special camp for special kids. They'd even forgone the age old tradition of stabbing monsters to do so. Honestly, I was grateful.

It didn't take long at all for me to decide on the table I would sit at. The only God that the griffins might possibly show allegiance to was Zeus, Lord of the Sky. Maybe we should start praying to him or something. Maybe then we wouldn't have such horrid luck. At the very least I wouldn't ever get zapped by lightning. Now that looked painful.

Chiron declared that dinner had begun with my rather late arrival, and dryads started wandering between the tables, offering food to the demigods. I watched them suspiciously. Only a few visited my table, insisting that I take food. I was about to deny the most recent one when the half-bloods rose, walking over to the fire.

I hadn't realised that demigods offered parts of their meals to the Gods. I sighed. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Or, in this case, do as the Greeks do. I accepted a piece of food from the dryad, who was still nervously standing beside me, and stood up myself. I walked over to the fire, joining the demigods in putting it into the flames. I thought a quiet prayer to Zeus- the first I'd ever given, he should feel honoured- before I stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to do next.

I was 'saved' by Alyx, who pushed me back into the direction of Zeus's table. I realised that the demigods were returning to their seats. Huh. No mystical cult? No dancing around the tables or the fire, chanting in ancient Greek? No ritual sacrifice? Shame. I had been looking forward to the prospect.

The demigods resumed their ceaseless talking as soon as everyone had sat, eating between mouthfuls and taking swigs from their mugs. I was left staring at my empty plate. I'd scraped everything on it into the fire as an offering to Zeus. I wasn't hungry enough for a meal, and besides, I prefer to catch my own food. It'd been a couple of days since I'd eaten, but griffins digest things slowly, and we have big meals when we do it. Normally a whole deer or something. Obviously it wasn't the same for the demigods. They basically stuffed their faces with food. I sat there rather awkwardly, minding my own business.

About fifteen minutes had passed when I sensed somebody approaching me from behind. I turned, obviously catching the teen by surprise.

"You're not hungry?" He asked, pointing toward my empty plate.

I looked at him carefully, noting his green eyes. I felt like I should probably know who this kid was. "You are?" There was something about him that seemed dangerous- he had this… smell… about him. Different to most of the others. My thoughts stopped for a moment. "Wait. You're not one of those species that eats monthly, are you?"  
He gave me an odd look.

"Weekly?" My voice was hopeful. Maybe they would be closer to me than I thought.

The boy shook his head. Darn.

"Twice a week?"

Again, no.

"Daily?"

"Sorta," he said, nodding.

I looked at him in disbelief. I'd always thought humans were closer to predators than the prey. And you couldn't eat daily when you had to hunt down every meal. "Gods you lot are greedy. Every day, huh?" This was evidently why they needed to somewhat automate their production of food.

The kid was still confused. "How often do you eat?"

I shrugged. "Depends on the season, weather and stuff."

"Stuff?"

I nodded. "Yup. Stuff."

"Right," he said.

"Right," I agreed.

"I'm Percy," he said, offering his hand.

I looked at it for a few moments. "Why the… hand?" Human customs were alien to me.

"You're meant to shake it."

I stared at it some more, before gingerly taking it in mine, and shaking. "If you insist."

"So what's your name? I'd heard you'd been allowed to stay, but I wasn't there for the announcement."

"Cinder," I said, tilting my head slightly. This kid was odd.

He seemed surprised at my answer. "Odd name."

I frowned, "What do you mean? It's… a name?"

"It's just- most monsters I've met have names like "Chimera" or something."

I stared at him blankly.

"Never mind," he said after a few moments of silence. "Well, uh, Cinder. It was nice meeting you. Don't be too mean to Alyx."

My frown deepened as he walked away, toward another very empty table. Strange kid.


	16. 15 -Alyx

**Everyone loves a good fire. - Alyx**

Dinner passed relatively quickly, and the sun started to set in the distance. All of us, the griffin included, headed back to the arena for some trials of strength. Why the bird was coming along with us, I wasn't entirely sure. It was optional- for him, at least- and he'd given me the impression that he didn't really want anything to do with us.

The trials passed by with the same results as most nights. The Ares demigods won this time- the victory normally cycled between Athena, Poseidon, and Ares. It could have been different this week, what with there being a monster around, but the bird just sat alone in the stands, watching. He didn't seem that interested really- he watched with a blank stare that suggested his mind was elsewhere.

He trailed behind as us half-bloods crowded toward the campfire, the others talking excitedly to each other about the rest of their year, and the events that might occur this summer. The last few years had been accompanied by some massive quest. I personally was hoping for a quieter camp. All of the excitement with the rise of Kronos had grown old fairly quickly. The danger, once exhilarating, had become worrying and at times, absolutely terrifying.

I almost forgot the bird existed while the Apollo cabin led sing-along, joyfully joining everyone else, singing as loud as I could. My cabin-mates, our quarrel from earlier forgotten, sung with me. We toasted s'mores over the flames in a friendly atmosphere. Now this? This was the camp Half-blood I was used to. Not once did I think of the events of that day- the strange boy appearing at the camp's borders, and the subsequent discovery that he was a monster.

I let out a deep breath. I hadn't noticed how tense I was. Of course being tense was usual for a half-blood, It was basically our natural state. But as I sat there, the light almost completely faded from the sky, the campfire before me warming my skin pleasantly, I felt at ease. Relaxed.

My eyes flicked toward where Cinder sat for a brief moment. Long enough to realise that the bird wasn't sitting on his isolated log anymore, and was starting to make his way back toward the forest. Nobody else seemed to notice, so I stood up and started toward him. I had to jog to catch up, as the griffin didn't slow.

"Where are you going, bird?" I asked, my tone lighthearted. This wasn't the time for threats. Chiron had told us he would be an ally, for now at least.

He looked toward me, yellow eyes practically glowing in the darkness. He studied me for a few moments, as though trying to discern what I was made of, before answering. "I'm going to my tree," he said simply, turning back to the forest. "I might scout the forest before I sleep, but it's been a long day. Why, little demigod, do you need to know?"

Defensive much. I shrugged, gesturing toward the campfire. "I didn't see you join in on even one of those songs- Singing at the campfire is the highlight of most evenings. Besides, you've gotta join in sometime, prove to us that you're not just some big scary monster here to eat us."

The griffin didn't even give the slightest hint of a smile. His eyes were lacking the humour he had very clearly exhibited earlier, much to everyone else at camp's annoyance. "I know none of your human songs," he said quietly, the fire reflecting in his yellow eyes eerily, "and this is not the time for me to celebrate."

I shrugged, turning back toward the orange glow. "Suit yourself, grumpy pants."

I didn't look back until I returned to my seat. He stood still for a few moments longer, his eyes yellow pinpricks in the darkness, before he turned and continued on his way.

His loss, I suppose.


	17. 16 -Cinder

**Ugh. Too bright. - Cinder**

I had made myself a sort of nest in one of the trees pointed out to me by Alyx earlier that day, finding the highest branch that would still support my weight. It wasn't much, certainly not when compared to my home, but it was something. I fell asleep watching the dying embers of the campfire. The demigods had called it a night a couple of hours ago, the last of them wandering away to their cabins in the darkness. I sighed, finally able to enjoy some peace and quiet, unbound and without demigods trying to stick spears in me.

It did not take long for me to drift into sleep.

Sunlight danced through the branches above me, falling right in my face. I was lounged on the branch I had chosen, stretching from the scraps of feathers and cloth I had put together near the tree's trunk. I looked up wearily, noting the distant figures moving around the valley. It was too early to wake, the sun was barely above the horizon. I shifted my beak to the other side of the branch, shutting my eyes again in shadow. Perfecto.

It seemed as though mere seconds had passed since I had moved to a better position when I heard muffled voices from below. "Wake up bird!" came the voice. It seemed vaguely familiar, but it sounded as though it had travelled through thick treacle to reach me up here.

I mumbled something incoherently in the language of griffins (which, for all intents and purposes, sounds like bird chatter to you humans), snuggling the branch I lay on. Believe it or not, branches can actually be very comfortable. I mean, nothing quite compares to a cave, but there were far too many pesky monsters running around these woods, claiming all of the best caves. The only ones I'd been able to locate that were not occupied were either tiny, or leaking. You can't have a leaking cave. It's impossible to make one feel homey.

The voices below were silent for a while, waiting for a response they could understand. When I didn't give one, I heard faint whispers, like voices on a distant wind. They fell silent again, and I felt something hit my back.

My eyes opened groggily, peering over my shoulder. Damned half-bloods. Alyx stood at the base of the tree with two other demigods. She was picking up another stone, preparing to throw it at me.

I shuffled my wings, croaking at her indignantly. The fuzziness of waking up was starting to fade, and I could see her frowning for a moment, caught off guard by my bird-like noises.

It didn't last long, and the next stone hit my shoulder, near where my wound was. Or had been. It had mostly healed now. "You're gonna miss breakfast!" she yelled, picking up yet another stone.

"I don't need breakfast!" I yelled back triumphantly, "I had lunch last Tuesday."

She went silent, before she looked to her companions, one blond, the other black-haired. They exchanged a few brief words, which I didn't hear. I was already curling back up again. I wasn't getting up if I didn't have to; I'd missed a lot of sleep in my rush here.

"Chiron needs to speak with you, monster. You need to fulfil your end of the arrangement."

Okay this voice was different. It sounded similar to Alyx's in a vague way. It also sounded very familiar, although the last time I'd heard it, the previous day, it had been arguing for my death.

I looked over my shoulder at one of Alyx's half-sisters, eyes narrowed and cold. I didn't like this girl that much, I could tell the feeling was mutual. "Dufz ciar jozepij," I growled, starting to rise from where I was perched. "Cia ior ino gerninaren ix exerni," I finished. My tone was threatening. The demigod seemed to pick up on this, and scowled.

The last of the trio, the black-haired kid that I now recognised from dinner last night, spoke up. He had to tilt his head to see me. "You do know it's only Greek and English that we understand, right?"

I was perched rather precariously on the branch, talons wrapped around tightly while my hind paws balanced beside them. I flicked my tail in mild annoyance. "Of course. I wouldn't be speaking like shek if I wanted you to understand."

Alyx sighed, raising a hand to shield her eyes from the sun, which was slowly climbing higher in the sky. "Stop making things complicated and just go see Chiron. Keep going like this and we'll have to come up with a cover story for Annabeth."

If I had a human face I would have been scowling. I was not in a good mood this morning. Probably had something to do with my rude awakening. I let out an exaggerated sigh, readjusting myself on my branch, before I lunged forward into the air.

Is it bad to admit that I took delight in the momentary fear that sparked up in each of the three demigod's eyes? The black-haired kid- I think his name was Percy- immediately drew a pen, uncapping it to reveal a sword. Annabeth, Alyx's most annoying sister, pulled out a long knife. Alyx herself prepared to dodge, immediately dropping close to the ground.

Of course I wasn't stupid enough to immediately null the temporary protection I had been granted. I spread my wings mid-air, soaring over their heads without so much as skimming them with my tail. I landed rather gracefully on the other side of them, shifting into human form as my feet touched the ground.

"What the bloody hell did you do that for?" Alyx cried, straightening up. The other two lowered their weapons slowly.

I tilted my head, striding toward them. "Do what?"

She gestured toward the tree in which I had been perching moments before. "That!"

"What?"

"Lunge toward us like you were going to separate our heads from our-"

"Well how else did you expect me to get down?" I interrupted, rolling my eyes. "It's your own fault for standing too close." She practically glowered at me. Her sister wasn't far behind. The Percy kid seemed a tad more relaxed. I shrugged, starting toward the barn where we had found Chiron the previous day. "I'll wait for the man-horse at the barn," I said. "I have no desire to watch you humans eat your food."


	18. 17 -Alyx

**We eat breakfast. - Alyx**

We watched the griffin walk away in silence. He'd been awfully rude today. Don't get me wrong- he wasn't the shining example of manners yesterday, but today had been worse. He didn't seem too thrilled at the protection he was currently under. In fact, he'd mellowed considerably since Chiron granted it to him.

I caught Percy and Annabeth exchanging sideways glances as I stood there watching him leave, having not moved for a few moments longer than was probably necessary. I have a habit of over thinking the unimportant things and under thinking the life threatening situations… I'm working on it.

I turned back to my two companions with a smile. They'd both accompanied me after I'd complained a little too much about being Cinder's apparent personal chaperon around camp. Honestly it was as though Chiron thought I was the only one who could possibly show another person around the place. All because of the dumb griffin busting out during my watch.

"So shall we go to Breakfast?" I asked, taking a step in the direction of the dining pavilion. We were already a bit late for breakfast, and I was hungry. Neither said a word in protest, and we set off on our way.

Breakfast was good. As usual. There really wasn't any way it couldn't have been. I sat alone at the Athena table, leaving my two companions at the table for cabin Three. Most of my other siblings were scattered amongst tables belonging to other cabins, talking with the friends they had made.

I scraped my plate clean, and leaned back on the bench, smiling contentedly. Today would be a good day. I wouldn't have to stand inside for half the daylight hours, and I had camp activities I needed to do. I couldn't chaperon the griffin everywhere, I was too busy. Someone else would have to take up my mantle.

The day passed relatively quickly. As I had guessed, it was indeed a good day. Rounds of practice in the arena were accompanied by studies of Mythology and a bit of Ancient Greek. I barely saw the griffin throughout the day, as I had hoped, and the few times I did see him were from afar as the bird flew high over our heads, as though he were scouting for something.

The other residents of cabin six, Annabeth especially, kept glancing toward the skies with expressions similar to annoyance. Nobody was particularly happy that the griffin was being allowed to stay for the moment, and you could feel the tension in the atmosphere. Despite the camp's perpetually beautiful weather, with its magically-maintained rolling meadows of green, a dark cloud had descended upon the campers. Everyone seemed more on edge as rumours started to spread about Cinder's acceptance here. Chiron and Mr. D wouldn't have allowed it without good reason, after all.

I stared at my textbook, looking at a rather ugly illustration of the Chimera. Something was stirring again, so soon after Kronos's defeat as well. It felt like we'd just barely managed to get back on our feet again. I stirred uncomfortably, unable to focus on the words that accompanied the picture. They swam a little in my vision, twisting into each other.


	19. 18 -Cinder

**I get the feeling I'm not wanted here. - Cinder**

Chiron took a very long time to meet me. I must have been standing outside the barn for at least half an hour before I saw the centaur appear down the path, trotting toward me at a casual pace.

I was leaning against the peeling red paint of the wall, arms crossed, waiting. I did my best to look annoyed, but the centaur was good at ignoring people. I suppose that's what happens when you have to look after the children of the Gods during their most… colourful years. He must have had centuries of experience filtering out teen angst.  
"Cinder," he said as he got close enough, "I see Alyx found you."

I nodded, straightening up. He led the way into the barn, flicking on some lights as he went through the doorway.  
"I trust she informed you of the nature of these summons?" the centaur continued, making his way toward the wheelchair that he had been sitting in the previous day. He gestured toward one of the sofas beside. "Take a seat, please."

"She did," I answered curtly, sitting down beside him. I sat bolt upright, quite unaccustomed to furniture like this. Back in the forest I wasn't often in human form, and when I was I did not sit. I had only visited a couple of humans over the past century or so, and most, if not all, of the seating I had been offered came in the form of wooden stools or stone benches. So I was honestly rather surprised when the cushion sank beneath my weight.

Man-horse noticed my discomfort as he settled into his fake wheelchair, smiling warmly at me. "Relax, you aren't here to be executed!" Well, his smile looked warm for the first split-second, before I had time to look at his eyes. He regarded me coldly, brown eyes that I imagined were quite welcoming to half-bloods had hidden malice within them. It was rather off putting, with his expression contradicting his words to such a degree. It added hidden meaning to the statement, suggesting it was perhaps missing a word. Yet.

I shifted rather uncomfortably, unable to 'relax' as suggested by the centaur. The seat beneath me moved too much. "You wanted my full account of the battle?" I asked, trying to draw attention away from my obvious inability to sit still.

The centaur inclined his head. "That is correct. Every detail is vital, and you must understand our… suspicions."  
So they didn't fully trust me. Understandable; I was a monster. Not to speak bad of myself, of course. I was an actual monster. "Very well, where would you like me to begin?"

My tale was a long one, as I said earlier. It was so long, in fact, that the centaur decided to pause my retelling a mere hour after I had started. I hadn't even finished explaining why my flock was regarded with such hatred by other monsters; I hadn't even begun to speak of the horrors of the battle, or even the overcast sky that had graced that day, its shade foreshadowing something much darker.

I will admit, I was glad when he asked me to stop. The centaur had listened intently, his threatening brown eyes not leaving my face for a moment. He interrupted me occasionally, asking for clarification at times, or to ask a question about something that seemed so natural to me I was genuinely surprised he did not understand.

As head of the camp activities, he had his own duties. Duties that were to him, for the moment, more important than understanding this threat. I had the vague feeling he didn't quite understand its gravity. Of course, he and Dionysus were currently tolerating my presence, so they must have thought it had some importance, but they weren't yet putting it above all else. I hoped dearly that it wouldn't creep up on them and end in something terrible. I had my own revenge to think of, and I knew all too well that I wouldn't manage without the aid of this camp.  
"Return here after Capture the Flag this evening, and we can continue with Mr. D present," he had said. I didn't even know what to do all day; I was in a camp for young demigods. Where they were trained to kill monsters. Like me.

I kicked around a stone as I walked down from the barn. It clattered along the dirt path, knocking against other stones. The half-bloods were out and about now, much like they had been yesterday. This morning I'd had quite a lovely stroll, with the valley mostly empty. I had only stumbled across one or two, up early for one reason or another.

I sighed, watching small clusters of godlings trudge across the valley, heading to the archery range, or the arena. Breakfast must have finished, and the day's activities were beginning. I had no real desire to interact with the murderous little humans, and so decided taking to the sky was a better form of travel.


	20. 19 -Alyx

**It finally arrives. The time we've all been waiting for. - Alyx**

(The shortness of the chapter headings is annoying me slightly, so I'm going to start putting the chapter name at the top of the chapter, and just have 1, 2, 3, etc for the bit up top.)

It felt like we had only just finished lunch when dinner time arrived. I sat at the Athena table, near the end of the bench, still thinking about what might happen this summer. It was still early June, and I couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen soon.

I glanced over to Zeus's table, picking at the food on my plate. Cinder hadn't shown for dinner, just as he hadn't for breakfast or lunch. I thought he would have shown for this meal at least, even if he didn't plan to eat something. Dinner was more formal than the other two meals. It was during this time that announcements were generally made, so no campers dared miss it. I frowned, looking toward the head table. Chiron's gaze flitted toward cabin one's table every so often, but his expression remained unchanged.

At last came the time the entire camp had been waiting for. Excitement rippled through everyone present as plates were cleared away, accentuated with the sound of the conch being blown.

The campers stood at their tables, me included, and everyone went silent.

From one side of the pavilion, Annabeth strode into view. In her hands she held our Cabin's flag, grey with our trademark owl. Malcolm hurried along behind her, and the pair came to a halt beside Chiron. From the opposite side, Katie Gardener, and her half-sister, Miranda, stepped up. They held their own cabin's flag, which was a deep shade of green, like fresh grass after rain, with a picture of golden grain embroidered on the silk.

It was at this point that the bird decided to grace us with his presence. All ceremony halted for a few a few minutes as he appeared in the sky above us, landing softly a small ways off. A few mutters moved through the crowd as he stepped up onto the pavilion, staying close to its edge, as far from the demigods as he could be. He mumbled an apology before falling silent, scanning the four demigods that stood before the others, holding their banners. He seemed confused. I turned back to the front, noticing Chiron watching him, before I looked back to Annabeth.

Our Cabin had allied with Poseidon, Apollo, Hermes, Hecate, and Iris for this particular week.

The residents of Cabin Four had allied themselves with Ares, Hephaestus, Dionysus, Nike, Touche and Hebe.

Hypo and Aphrodite had elected to sit the activity out, as they often did. Instead they sat on the sidelines, making sure armour was straightened, giving a couple of pep-talks and the like. As Nico wasn't with us currently, and Thalia was off with the hunters, there weren't any other cabins to participate.

Chiron cleared his throat, effectively silencing those gathered. He began his usual speech, welcoming back the few half-bloods that had arrived today, before he moved on to announcing the teams for the cabins that weren't leading. More often than not, the actual roster for each team was kept a secret by the cabins leading each, so every cabin only knew which one they themselves had allied to.

The centaur finished listing off the names, allowing a moment's pause for any who weren't listening to be told by their cabin-mates, before he continued.

"As everybody no doubt knows, we have a guest with us this week." He gestured toward Cinder, who looked as though he'd been jolted awake with a cattle prod. He edged backwards as demigods turned to look at him. "And some of you may also be wondering whether he will participate in our tradition." There were a few affirmations scattered throughout the crowd. Cinder narrowed his eyes, watching Chiron. "Mr. D personally sees no harm in the griffin attending, given the monsters that already swarm the forest, however some restrictions must be put in place."

The centaur's expression said all they needed about how he 'personally' felt about allowing Cinder to participate. His eyes were uncharacteristically cold when he looked upon the bird.


	21. 20 -Cinder

**I get a deathwish. - Cinder**

I'd heard rumours about this 'capture the flag'. Small snatches of excited conversation between demigods, quick-fire questions dancing between pairs. It all seemed very over-hyped to me.

My day had been spent exploring the camp in more depth, particularly the forest, which had involved a lot of flying. It had seemed as though every time I passed demigods they had been talking about 'capture the flag'. I skipped the demigod's midday meal because of it, and also the bulk of their evening meal- What is it with humans and eating?

At the sound of the second conch, however, I decided I should at least show my face. From what I gathered the previous night, it was at this time that things were announced. I hadn't expected to be dragged into one of their godling games, let alone be entered into such a perilous endeavour.

The centaur had explained that all weapons usually used in the fight were allowed. With regular mortals this wouldn't be a problem. Humans like using iron and steel- it's cheap and strong, perfect for bulk weapons. Demigods, however, favour more deadly, hard to get metals, such as celestial bronze and Stygian iron. For the very reason that I hated it; because it killed monsters.

I mean at least he had said that they should avoid fatal blows to me. But… these were demigods. And if Alyx was anything to go off, demigods were prone to 'accidents'.

On the other hand, I wasn't allowed to use my own natural weapons. If I so much as grazed one of the precious little darlings with the blunt edge of my talons, I would be lynched. Talk about unfair.

"But of course," the centaur said after he had finished explaining the special rules all for me. He fixed me with a rather cold stare, "This is only if our guest agrees to participate."

I narrowed my eyes, meeting his gaze. The demigods looked toward me expectantly.

Oh joy, all eyes were on me now. Waiting to see what I'd do.

I was going to say no. I had no desire to go to my death in the perverse games the demigods held in the free time. After all, the centaur had said something about losing dessert for a week if they killed one of their own. The keyword here, however, is was. Being the dumb thing I am, I thought back to the previous night, and the little chat Alyx had cornered me with. Her words practically reverberated through my skull, and I was unable to think of anything else for a brief few moments.

"You've gotta join in sometime, prove to us that you're not just some big scary monster here to eat us."

She… made a very good point. I wasn't looking for friendship- I only wanted them to trust me enough to give me aid against the monsters. But… joining in with their 'activities', regardless of how deadly they were, and proving how I can indeed play nice if I'm given a chance, was the fastest way to earn their allegiance. After all, right now I was just here for the potential information I brought.

The half-bloods had gone rather quiet, although a couple of whispers were beng exchanged here and there. I sighed, breaking my eye contact with the centaur.

"How could I refuse such a generous offer," I grumbled, my tone practically dripping with sarcasm. I saw a number of the assembled grin sadistically, and it made a chill run down my spine. Are we sure they're the good guys?

Chiron dipped his head, acknowledging my defeat. "A coin will be tossed to determine the team on which the griffin will participate," he stated, pulling a golden drachma from one of his blazer's pockets.

The demigods turned away from me at least, their eyes now glued to the shimmering gold circle in Chiron's fingers. He raised it in the air, showing each side.

"If the coin lands on Heads, then he shall join Cabin Six. If the coin lands on Tails, then he shall join Cabin Four," the centaur announced. He balanced the coin on his thumb, before flicking it into the air.

The small stamped circle glittered as it revolved in the air, torchlight sparkling from its raised golden surface. Chiron caught it deftly in one hand, flipping it onto the back of the other. He peered at it for the moment, tension rising in the demigods assembled.

"Tails."


	22. 21 -Alyx

**We place our flag. - Alyx**

The two teams separated after Chiron reminded us all of the boundaries- the stream was the middle, the entire forest was fair play, so on and so forth.

We stopped by the cabins and armoury on our way to our positions, picking up any stray pieces of armour and magical weapons as we did so. We had gone over our plan of action a couple of times that evening, everyone in cabin six gathering around the central table of the cabin as Annabeth explained the loose idea, and then we all gave input on how it could be improved. We were pretty sure we were going to win.

This particular game we would use Zeus' Fist as our flag's location. Since the discovery of the labyrinth's entrance and subsequent battle around the formation of rocks, everyone had thought the area cursed. Which was a shame, because it made an absolutely brilliant place to put the flag. On other occasions we steered clear of the surrounding land, skirting its edge, not wanting to evoke some horrific consequences.

However this wasn't a regular day, and we needed to buy ourselves as much time as possible. Cabin four had the aid of a griffin- a creature who could fly. Any of our other usual spots wouldn't work. After all, the best places for the flag were high up, difficult to climb, because nobody could reach them. For reasons previously mentioned that wouldn't exactly work this time, so we had to resort to other tactics.

The land was cursed, right? Nobody placed their flags there anymore. Which was exactly why we needed to put ours there. They wouldn't think to check here first, so it would give us the most time. In this case, tactics trumped the fear of any particular curse.

Annabeth led our team towards it, pairs of demigods splitting from the main group to reach their post. I continued alone as the bulk of our remaining team stopped at the base of the formation, almost all of them glancing around nervously, waiting for something bad to happen. Percy and Annabeth scaled the rocks, passing the flag between them as they clambered over them. They reached the top and, with a flourish, wedged the pole in the usual place.

A tree passed in front of my vision, and they were out of sight. A few moments later, and the hunting horn sounded, signalling the beginning of the match.

I readjusted my helmet, straightening it on my head. Every Friday I swear I get the one helmet in the whole armoury that's just a bit too big for me. It always ends up sliding off to one side, obscuring my vision.

The woods were silent for a while, the two teams making their way toward the stream, where the fighting would begin. I moved at a light jog, angled mostly toward the far end of the woods, furthest from camp. We had two groups skirting the edges of the forest, curving their paths toward the enemy flag. Cabin four would most likely have left most of their planning to the Ares demigods- or at least, they would have listened to them and heavily relied on their advice. We had decided their flag would probably be in its usual place on that side- they had no griffin on the opposite team to worry about, after all.

The sound of running water reached my ears, and I looked up from my feet to see the silvery water through the trees. In the distance I heard the first clash of metal, and somewhere ahead of me I heard the snarl of some monster in the woods, followed by a muffled whimper as it met its end.

I took a deep breath, crouching down lower in the undergrowth. Those of us near the edges were to stay hidden, and to rely on the element of surprise. That meant sneaking through some of the denser areas of foliage. My boots were quiet on the earth, my feet moving silently, one in front of the other. I was one of the best in camp at sneaking around. Sure, I didn't have Annabeth's Yankees cap, but most of the time I didn't need it.

If there was something to hide in, I was invisible.


	23. 22 -Cinder

**Armour? Girl have you seen me? I don't need no armour! - Cinder**

We followed the other team at first, stopping, like them, at the cabins and armoury. I trailed behind, watching the humans hurrying inside various cabins and picking up their pointy objects.

I was mostly ignored, left to mind my own business and wait for the rest of them to prepare. It was only when we reached the armoury that they decided I needed interfering with. I had noticed a small group of demigods standing a few feet from the others, the two flag-bearers and a couple of the meaner-looking godlings. Not that that meant much though, most of the demigods looked mean.

I wouldn't have noticed them had they not kept glancing back at me with a mixture of glares and fear. I watched them, meeting their gaze whenever they looked over. Eventually, one split off from the rest- an especially large girl glad in bronze armour. I took mild pleasure in the knowledge that I was taller than her, even if it was only by an inch.

"Griffin," she said curtly, having to look up a little to meet my gaze. "You are to scout for the enemy flag from above, and report back to us the moment you find it."

My eyes narrowed, and I looked at her curiously. I didn't much like being given orders- it was one of my few flaws, and one of the reasons I often got into trouble with the Elder of my particular flock. He said go one way, and I would fly the other. Of course being given orders by a demigod was worse. It was my natural instinct to do the exact opposite of what she was telling me. It took all I had to force out one word- "Alright."

She stood there for a few moments more, her eyes barely visible through the slit of her helmet. Finally she turned, having decided my response was satisfactory. She was halfway back to her group of co-conspirators when she turned back. "You might want some armour, bird. Maybe a sword, too. Chiron didn't say you couldn't use our weapons."

A shudder ran down my spine at the thought of the celestial bronze and Stygian iron. Even touching that stuff was sometimes enough to make your skin burn. "Unless you have it in plain metal," I yelled back, shaking the sensation of from my mind, "I'll make do with the skin I was given."

I switched forms as I finished, stretching out my wings to accentuate my point. I saw a couple of the demigods nearest me flinch, some even going as far as to take a few steps back. I would have smiled if that was physically possible with a beak. Sometimes it just felt good to surprise someone, y'know?

It turns out they didn't have anything in plain mortal metal. The demigod who informed me mumbled something about only fighting monsters before he hurried off to join the others. Ah well, I'd managed this long without using any human creations. I could last a while longer.

The demigods led the way into the forest, talking excitedly the entire time. On more then one occasion I caught one of the buggers glancing back at me. I was flying at the moment- they were moving too slowly for it to be of any benefit. I'd only be flying back and forth. So instead I hung back, keeping a distance between us and trying to figure out how I could be of more use without using any of my Gods-given weapons.

I was slowly learning the layout of the forest. My explorations the previous night were proving useful. So far I'd discovered the woods had slight traces of magic- Time and Distance were deceptive here. We were headed toward the eastern side of the forest, toward, if memory served, an area where a hill dropped off in a sort of mini-cliff. At the very least the drop from the top to the bottom was a tad more sudden than other areas. I guessed this had something to do with the ever-present fact that humans can't fly.

I didn't actually get to find out where our flag was- the tall girl from before stopped me before we reached our final destination, turning to the western side of the forest and pointing vaguely.

"Their flag will be somewhere over there," she explained. She sounded like she was talking to a toddler, doing her best to enunciate her words with patronising clarity. "When you've found it find the nearest demigod on our side and tell them. Caw or something so the rest of us know."

I was very quickly coming to the realisation that I despised this particular demigod. Now don't get me wrong, I hate most demigods equally, just about as much as they hate me, but this one just ticked me off.

"I don't 'caw'," I said, lifting my head proudly. I was part raven, not part crow. I didn't much like crows, and often took it as an insult when I was referred to as such a bird. I couldn't quite see her eyes through the helmet, but I could tell she was glaring at me.

"Whatever," she growled, pointing toward the other side of the forest again. The hunting horn sounded somewhere near the middle of the forest. "Go," she barked, brandishing her weapon.

If I weren't so concerned with my own safety I would have stayed put and been a tad more defiant. As it was we seemed to have little time to lose, so I settled for flicking my tail angrily. I spread my wings, the evening light catching my feathers rather beautifully if I do say so myself, and took off. I got a little consolation knowing that the resulting rush of air knocked her and the two demigods behind her to the ground.

We had been standing in a clearing, wide enough for me to get off the ground with little trouble. Navigating trees was difficult, after all. It involved an awful lot of aerial acrobatics, that were difficult to perform as you were taking off.

I lifted into the air, waiting until I was about my height from the ground, before I shifted my wings slightly, and flew forward. I twisted in the air, slipping between two tree trunks with barely a centimetre between my wingtips and the bark. I glanced back at the demigods I had left, quite literally, in the dust, seeing them pick themselves up and watching me go. I refocused my attention to the task at hand, gliding over my red-plumed teammates and slipping between another set of trunks.

Toward the west, huh?


	24. 23 -Alyx

**A bad feeling. - Alyx**

I was into enemy territory when I heard Cinder calling in the distance- from the direction of our own flag. This wasn't good. I turned to start running back, a split second away from leaving the relative cover of the undergrowth and sprinting toward Zeus' Fist, when I heard the sound of footsteps just ahead of me, and a fellow demigod came crashing through the brambles, clad in full armour. Their red plume streaked behind them like a horse's tail, marking them as one of the enemy. I waited a few moments as they passed, before I unsheathed Skotono, and leaped after them.

A rather girlish yelp emerged from Paolo, who tumbled to the ground as I collided with him. His sword flew from his hands, and he yelled something in Portuguese as I pushed him further into the ground, using him to get myself back on my feet. I didn't say anything, instead starting back toward our flag, leaving the son of Hebe to pick self up from the ground. I would have to apologise for that later.

I ran through the woods, splashing back over the stream. I knew I was abandoning my post- I should have kept going, stuck to the plan, found the enemy flag and brought it back while they were distracted by our own flag. But I couldn't stop myself running back. I felt like something bad was going to happen- it rose up inside me like a bubble, a lump in my throat that I couldn't get rid of.

There was a snarl to my immediate right, a wolf-like creature that was a distant shadow warning me not to get any closer. I payed it little attention, veering slightly more to the left as I ran back to base.

The sound of sword on sword was getting closer, the chink of metal and the movement of feet. I saw two other demigods up ahead, duelling with each other. I edged around them, my footsteps light, barely in contact with the ground for a moment.

The feeling of unease didn't stop or lessen, growing stronger the closer I got to Zeus' Fist, and our flag. I didn't like this.


	25. 24 -Cinder

**I find the flag, three cheers for me! - Cinder**

Honestly they were pretty terrible at picking a spot for their flag. I flew over their heads too fast for most of them to notice. A couple of kids with bows tried to shoot at me, but with the trees in the way, none hit their mark. So much for being children of Apollo.

I moved swiftly, scouring the ground beneath me, searching for the glittering silver-grey of the blue team's flag. I can't have been searching long before I found it- ten, fifteen minutes at most. I saw movement through the trees, caught sight of two blue plumes between the deep brown and greens of the forest, and then, mixed with the dull grey of a selection of rocks was the shimmer I had been searching for. It practically glittered in the light, the silk twisting in the wind, the owl in its centre watching over the demigods that had stayed close to guard it.

To be sure I got closer, my wings almost completely silent as I drew closer. Yup. That was a flag.

The two half-bloods standing guard looked up suddenly as I glided over them, the wind ruffling my feathers as my shadow covered their backs. One of them yelled something, pointing, as the other lifted a bow and notched an arrow.

A tingle ran down my spine, and everything seemed to slow for a moment. I felt a chill, and shuddered mid-air.  
In an instant time resumed its normal pace, and I, slightly dazed, dipped slightly toward the ground. The kid's arrow whizzed past my ear, and I adjusted my wings, turning in the air in one long, graceful movement.

This area gave me a bad feeling- something about it didn't feel right. Luckily I had no obligation to pick up the flag. Reconnaissance, that was all I had been ordered to do. I was back through the trees by the time the girl had prepared her second shot, winding between the trunks and out of sight.

It didn't take too long to find another red-plumed ally, either. Only a short flight away I found one fighting off a pair of blue defenders, their sword flashing in the light.

I croaked a warning as I approached, waiting for my ally to glance up before I swooped in, changing form as I soared over their heads, landing softly on the other side in a crouch.

"Flag," I yelled, pointing in the direction I had come. The girl- who I could now see was the very same one who had told me to find the flag- nodded, raising her shield to block the incoming blow from one of her assailants as the other swung at her back.

Without thinking I switched form again, lunging forward.

I blinked and it felt as though I was waking from a long sleep. The two attacking blues were against opposing trees, slumped at their trunks and groaning in pain. Ahead I could see a red plume dashing forward, back toward the direction of the enemy flag.

I shook my head, trying to clear the mist that had descended on my mind, and looked between the two demigods. From all around me there were shouts, yells. I heard swords clashing together, ringing through the trees like thunder. I heard cries and yelps and snarls, all crowding in on me. I winced, lowering my head.

Another demigod appeared through the trees, with a blue plume, and said something. They held their sword up defensively, slowing almost to a halt upon seeing me. They said it again, and I looked up. I only heard sounds- no words came to me. Their language seemed so strange, so bizarre. Almost surreal.

I took a step forward, the sound of my own feet on the ground was deafening, and I stopped again.

"… r?"

I blinked, looking at the demigod's lips as they moved. They had lowered their sword slightly.

"Cin…r?"

I changed shape, and everything went quiet, the world returning to its natural state. Alyx stood before me, her blue plumed helmet tilted at an angle on her face.

"Cinder?" she said again, her tone a mixture of concern and annoyance.

Her face started to blur, and I blinked a couple of times. The world swayed, and I fell rather unceremoniously face-first to the ground, out cold.


	26. 25 -Alyx

**It's all fun and games until the monsters attack the demigods. - Alyx**

He landed with quite the thump after taking a step toward me. I moved closer, cautious. Cinder didn't move, lying face-first in the dirt, his shorts covered in mud.

As I neared the unconscious griffin, I noticed one of my teammates. My heart dropped, and immediately my careful steps were forgotten, and I hurried over. They lay at the base of a tree. I glanced back at the bird, making sure he hadn't moved, and catching sight of the second demigod on the opposite side. I hadn't seen them with the tree between us. I couldn't find any blood on them, and they were mumbling quietly in pain. They were probably just stunned. I hoped they were just stunned.

With my sword still drawn, I stepped back toward Cinder, nudging him with my foot. No response. I didn't know what had happened here, whether the bird had broken our trust. A shiver ran down my spine, and I looked in the direction of Zeus' Fist. The air felt oddly cold, despite the orange light still radiating from the sun, which was slowly creeping beneath the horizon.

What seemed like only a moment later, I heard yells nearby, and then the hunting horn was blown. One of the flags had been captured. The game was over.

Chiron found us only a short while later, after I'd yelled a couple of times and some of the passing demigods hurried towards him. He expression was grim as he looked over the scene, and he had tended to my two teammates swiftly. They were both mumbling incoherently, and the centaur assured me it was nothing too serious. A small crowd had slowly started forming around the small group of trees, and it was as though Cinder had his own forcefield. Nobody got within a few feet of the monster.

The centaur sent the two casualties off with some of their fellow bunkmates- both had been from the Hermes cabin- before he turned back toward Cinder.

Silence fell over the assembled crowd as the injured and their escorts' footsteps faded into the distance, and there was uneasy quiet as we all waited for something to happen.

It was, unsurprisingly, Clarisse who broke the silence. I didn't quite expect what she said, though. In fact, I thought she would be saying quite the opposite. "He didn't actually come in contact with them," she said, uncharacteristically quiet. "I think he was getting them off me, they staggered and the force of the air…" she trailed off, silenced by Chiron's stare.

I shifted my weight uncomfortably, looking down at Cinder. His face, turned toward Chiron and I, held no expression. I noticed that the wound on his calf was little more than a mark now, despite its bloody appearance yesterday. He wasn't joking when he said monsters heal fast.

After what seemed like an age, Chiron finally spoke. "Someone bring me some rope, we will take him to the cell."

Rope was found swiftly, one of the Hephaestus kids sheepishly pulling a length of it from one of their belts, and it was tied tightly around the griffin's wrists. Chiron asked for a couple of demigods- some of those tried and tested on quests- to accompany him with weapons drawn, as a 'precaution', before he sent the rest of us back to cabins.

As I walked away I couldn't help but glance back, seeing the small party set off, with Cinder being pulled along by the length of rope around his wrists. I felt guilty, despite everything. I knew why they were doing it- if Cinder had actually attacked a demigod then the griffin was dangerous, and the best way to transport him quickly would be at a distance. But… I didn't think Cinder was at fault.

They disappeared from view, and I turned back, jogging to catch up with the rest of my cabin. I guessed there wouldn't be any campfire tonight. I guessed correctly.


	27. 26 -Cinder

**My execution is postponed. - Cinder**

I got a strange sense of Déjà vu when I came to. The floor was cold beneath me, damp against my exposed skin. My body hurt, and I rolled onto my back, groaning. I opened my eyes slowly, noticing how much I could see. Or, should I say, how much I couldn't see. It was pitch black in the room, and it took me a moment for my eyes to properly adjust. I'm not nocturnal damn it, I don't have crazy owl vision.

"He's awake."

The voice that spoke belonged to the same girl from before- no, not the one who I think hates me, the one who was on my team, who had thought herself capable of giving me orders. I should probably ask what their names are.

I found the matching shape in the room, noticing that her natural build was no longer obscured by the armour she had worn for capture the flag. In all honesty she didn't look that much different. I looked toward the other shape in the room- an awfully tall figure that had weird legs, who I assumed was most likely the man-horse. I was quite surprised there weren't any others here. I guessed this would probably be my execution. Something had happened to those two demigods, and I was fairly sure I had something to do with it.

I slowly pulled myself into a sitting position, barely able to keep the world from spinning. My mind was still a bit of a mess, my memory of the game was mostly fragments. There was something about an odd formation of rocks, and there was a stream in there somewhere too.

Chiron spoke next, directly to me. "You are fortunate Clarisse witnessed the events that occurred earlier, and that she was willing to defend your position," he stated. I could make out the shape of his arms crossed over his chest.

"I am?" I asked, dazed and really not too sure what had happened. "Why would-" I paused, returning one of my hands to the ground to try and steady myself. "-would she not want me dead?"

The girl- Clarisse, was it?- shrugged. She didn't say anything else.

"T-thanks?" I said, looking back toward the centaur, satisfied that all that had needed to be said was said. I was starting to change my mind on this kid. She knew when words weren't needed.

"You will be… allowed to return to the forest when we are finished here," he said slowly, his white tail flicking in mild annoyance. "Clarisse, you may return to your cabin."

The demigod nodded, not giving me another look as she left my cell. I was almost sad to see her go- I felt like we were bonding.

"So what is it that we will be finishing up here?" I asked cautiously. The centaur had made it very clear on multiple occasions that he didn't particular like me. I didn't really blame him, monsters and half-bloods, as I'm sure you're all well aware of now, don't mix. It was dangerous just letting me be here, especially as he didn't know what I was capable of. Although, after I blacked out in the forest, I wasn't too sure what I was capable of either. At first I thought the encounter was just too quick for my rather tired mind to register, but something about that particular theory of mine didn't quite seem right. It made me uncomfortable thinking about. Luckily, the centaur started speaking before I could continue my over thinking.

"We have a meeting, griffin," he said, moving in between me and the door, "As we agreed this morning."

Oh. Right. Well that was much less sinister than I was imagining. My mind was a little fuzzy after falling flat on my face, but I could make some room for a little more storytelling. I dipped my head. "Of course. Where was I?"

"The 19th century, you mentioned an encounter with some humans," the centaur reminded me, his tone impatient.

I couldn't help but grin. That particular… event… had been entertaining, even more so with age. "Ahh, the time we participated in one of their freak-shows? See, that was strange because we were sure the mist was going to hide us-"


	28. 27 -Alyx

**It was a dream, nothing more. - Alyx**

Our cabin was strangely quiet that night. Some of other cabins, the ones closer to us, were alive with chatter, we could hear other demigods yelling at each other and giggling, enjoying the unexpected night to themselves.

In the Athena cabin, however, all was silent. I lay on my bunk, thick tome on mythology in my hands, occasionally glancing at the other members of cabin six. For the most part my half-siblings were taking part in activities similar to mine. One of my brothers was working on a woven piece of cloth, and some of my sisters had formed a circle, and were devising new strategies for Capture the Flag.

Annabeth sat near one of the windows, looking across the green toward cabin three- Poseidon's. Three guesses as to who she was thinking about.

I sighed, rolling onto my back, lifting the book above me so its spine was pressed against the bunk above me. I had switched from the book I had been reading earlier to one in Ancient Greek, which was much easier on my eyes. Any of the translated copies, while maybe slightly easier to understand, played havoc with my mind. It was a chore in itself trying to read just a page. I had decided to read up on griffins. It seemed quite the appropriate subject, given the camp's current situation.

So far none of the information seemed that accurate. Cinder hadn't seemed particularly interested in gold. If he was then he was very good at hiding it. I frowned at the page- which was sparse and underpopulated compared to some of the other entries on, say, the Minotaur.

It was starting to get late, and I felt the tug of sleep on my mind. The small group of girls on the floor had decided to call it a night, mumbling quiet "good nights" to the rest of the cabin as they settled into their beds. Even Annabeth had left the cabin in the direction of the girls' bathroom to brush her teeth. My light was the only one still on, its dull yellow glow not nearly enough to illuminate the whole area. Dark shadows shrouded the furthest corners.

Putting the book down, I pulled the covers over me. I'd prepared for bed before I had started reading- I had nothing else to do that night, after all. I mumbled my own "good night", receiving only one answer from the opposite side of the room, before I flicked off the light.

I lay in the dark for a while, waiting for the creak of the door as Annabeth returned before I really tried to sleep. Even the slightest sound was enough to rouse me from the deepest of sleeps, so it had seemed pointless to try when I knew I would be disturbed so soon.

I ran over the days events in my head, staring at the wooden supports for the bed above me. It was unoccupied for now, so I could switch bunks if I really wanted. The Athena cabin wasn't at full capacity, although it was certainly one of the more populated cabins. It was nice, though. Like most other demigods, I had never really fit in with regular kids. My dad had done his best, of course, but being a single parent is hard, especially when the mother of your child is a Goddess who has more important things to be doing. Camp Half-Blood was the first place I truly felt at home. I could relax here, I could laugh with friends, with others who understood my struggle. My story was not very unique. Almost everyone who arrived here found themselves at home.

Pulling the covers beneath my chin, I turned onto my side, facing the wall. The whole camp had gone quiet, the cabins beside is having settled down for the night. I readjusted my pillow, before I shut my eyes and let sleep take me.

All of a sudden I was in the sky. I looked down on snowy forests, filled with trees that snaked up nearby mountain slopes, decorated with heaps of snow that looked like icing on a cake, pure white, flawless. I could feel the cold air around me, whisking past me as I soared through clouds of freezing water. I wasn't cold, for some reason, and I found the experience rather pleasant. I was not afraid of the height, the distance to the ground that I normally found dizzying now became comforting. I felt free and alive, cherishing every second I moved through the blue.

It took me a while to notice the moving shapes beneath me, so tiny at this height, so small. I dipped down to try and get a closer look, falling through the air for a brief moment as I quickly lost altitude. I caught myself easily, having descended a couple of hundred feet, and now the shapes had form, they had limbs and heads. There was a small collection of them, a semicircle of six big, winged creatures on one side, and a larger body of fifteen or twenty smaller humanoid figures on the other. I watched their mouths move in conversation, I saw wings spread in anger, steps taken into threatening stances.

Around me were other shapes, flying through the air, and amongst the trees on the ground I could see more things swarming in the forests' shadows. I started to realise the scale of the group, noticing shadowy figures collecting in the shelter of the trees for a couple of kilometres, my eyes easily piercing through the gentle mist that descended around the mountains. I felt distrust toward the smaller shapes, the aversion that came upon encountering a group that I was unfamiliar with. I didn't like the intruders here.

My fellows in the sky didn't either- I could see it in how they moved, circling the clearing in which our own had met with these others in tight rings, flying low to listen to what was being said.

To me the words were foreign. A tongue that sounded wrong to my ears, yet one I felt I should know. A word was said by one of the six on my side, and it made a shiver run down my spine.

Another word was spat out by the invaders, and I heard metal grinding against sheaths, and a collective movement from the swarms of creatures foreign to me. My kin got more restless, flying lower and lower, flexing talons and baring teeth. I hung back, entranced by the words being exchanged rapidly between the two parties below, and before I could react one of the six griffins exploded in a shower of dust, the pieces of them being picked up by the wind, quickly dispersed.

Immediately fighting broke out. My fellows dived from the sky, screeching battledores as they snatched other monsters from the army below, climbing higher into the clouds to drop them from great heights. Weapons flashed, and golden dust started to decorate the snow below, with the occasional splash of blood from non-lethal hits that grazed an arm or leg. Two more of the six griffins had fallen, and a small handful of the opposition had also succumbed to the same fate.

Without thinking I dived to join the others, feeling a rush of air against my skin, streaking toward a group of monsters. I lifted one into the air, tearing at its skin with my beak and talons, rending its flesh from its bones until it turned to dust in my claws. I snarled at the remaining few, repeating my attack a number of times more.

And then there was pain. Unbearable pain that struck like lightning bolts through my shoulder. My body shuddered, and I lifted myself back into the air with difficult. Something warm ran down my back. Around me I saw my kin turning to dust in the air and on the ground, the monsters they had slain quickly replaced with swarms of new ones just as eager to slice and dice a griffin as the last.

It was horrific, the once pristine mountainside tainted with shades of crimson, with sprinklings of gold dusting the trees. Again I felt the same pain, so strange yet familiar to me, and I cried out, trying to lift myself higher.

I felt tired, and I struggled to keep myself airborne. I saw no others in the sky now, watching as faces I knew disintegrated. I turned toward a valley in the peaks, struggling to bring up the courage to leave the dying, to send for aid. I told myself I was helping my family. I lied to myself when I said I would arrive in time.

One thought remained in my mind- a distant memory of a small valley somewhere to the south. Somewhere it was always sunny and bright, where I would find perhaps the only ones capable of aiding me. Where I would find the demigods of Camp Half-Blood.

I sat upright in my bed, one hand immediately going to my shoulder, where the aching pain was still fresh in my mind. I was shivering violently despite the seasonal warmth of the morning. I glanced around me, seeing the darkness of night slowly fading from the room as the sun started to rise, hearing the reassuring sound of gentle breathing as my fellow campers slept soundly in their own bunks.

It had been a dream. A nightmare. That's what happens when you read about the mythology of griffins just before you sleep.

I had all felt so real.


	29. 28 -Cinder

**We go to breakfast. - Cinder**

(nobody told me this chapter was missing ;-;)

I slept like a brick that night. The centaur insisted that I stay in my cosy little cell, where the floor was made of cold stone and no wind moved gently through my feathers.

I would have protested had I not been fairly certain that if I did I would end up dead. We had stayed up late that night as I recounted my tale, finally reaching the events from the past week. It must have been past midnight before he allowed me to rest, long after the sun's last light had faded from the sky.

He asked fewer and fewer questions as my tale wore on, his eyes softening as his mind descended into thought. There were a couple of times where I'd falter, and the pair of us would stare into space for a good couple of minutes before he would prompt me to continue.

It was… difficult, reliving everything. The centaur demanded every detail, every monster I tore to pieces, and every comrade I saw fall from the sky, wings broken, spiralling to their deaths. I was a pleasant surprise that I was even able to fall asleep, with my mind putting on horror shows for me whenever I closed my eyes.

Despite the lack of dreams, I awoke shuddering. I heard the jangle of keys at the door, and I lifted my head as light flooded in from the hallway behind the wooden barrier. It creaked as it opened, and my eyes took a moment to adjust.

"Breakfast time, bird. Chiron says you can come out now."

Alyx sounded tired, her voice quieter than usual. I decided I wouldn't give her the same sass as the previous morning, which seemed to take her by surprise. I stood without a word, shifting into human shape, and sauntered over to where she was standing, still in the hallway.

She looked at me incredulously, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"What?" I asked, my voice sounding hurt. "You think I have to put up a fuss every time I have to be escorted somewhere?"

She was still for a few moments, looking me up and down. Then she shrugged, pulling the door to my cell closed and leading the way up the steps.

"Now you're just brushing me off without a word, I'm offended," I grumbled, reluctantly following her up the stairs. I didn't plan to actually eat anything at breakfast, but I was beginning to get a tad hungry. I don't like the way you humans cook your food. You're ruining perfectly good game by charring it with fire, and then you have the audacity to claim it tastes better that it would without. I mean really now, who are the real monsters here?

The demigod didn't say anything on our way to the dining pavilion. The sunlight warming us only made her look paler. I kept quiet as well, keeping my eyes on the ground as we passed other groups of campers, leisurely making their way toward pavilion. I could feel their gazes on my back as we walked past. I could hear them whispering behind our backs. Part of me wanted to know what they were saying- to shift into my other form and use my superior senses. The other part of me just wanted to leave. I guessed it would probably be best if I did leave at this point. I'd told the half-bloods my story. Chiron knew everything I knew now. He had no real use for me, there was no reason for my continued presence at camp. Now that I was thinking about it, I'm surprised he even let me live through the night.

As we neared the pavilion, the scent of their food both enticed and repulsed me. On one hand it reminded me of my own hunger, which was slowly growing. I would have to go hunting or something later. On the other, it was a weird mixture of substances that seemed far from my own definition of food.

I went to sit at my own table, and Alyx, as she was no longer obligated to escort me, returned to her own cabin's bench. I let out a sigh, waiting for one of the dryads to pluck up the courage to approach me and offer me food. I wasn't going to eat any of it, but it seemed to be a custom here to sacrifice part of your meal to the gods.

In griffin terms, I suppose we sacrificed the life of the creature we killed. We were carnivorous, in case you were wondering, so everything we ate came with blood and a hunt, and so every creature we killed had a soul, or life force. If we offered anything to the Olympians, it was this. I mean we didn't exactly have fire to burn offerings in. I mean I was the only griffin who actually had hands sometimes, so making fire would have been problematic.


	30. 29 -Alyx

**I debate hanging out with a winged horse. Inevitably it ends in running- sorry, flying- for our lives. - Alyx**

Cabin Six assembled outside the stables after a brief interlude after Breakfast, standing quietly as we waited for Annabeth. Our first activity today, gods forbid, was Pegasus riding. We were often lectured on the importance of our riding skills- especially by Annabeth who insisted that, as Children of Athena, we be proficient in most if not all combat methods. This included fighting with two feet planted firmly on the ground, two feet wobbling on a balance-beam, or two feet dangling in the stirrups of a Pegasus's saddle, a couple of hundred feet in the air.

I was fine with the first two- eager, even. But, as you might have noticed… I'm not that fond of heights. Being any more than about three or four meters of the ground made me nervous. That was when I was standing on something solid that didn't move. Pegasi just made everything worse.

My siblings started to move, heading toward the Pegasi within the stable itself, and I realised I had missed Annabeth's briefing. I shuffled toward the stable behind the others, hoping I hadn't missed anything too important. It was still early summer- not everyone had arrived yet. Annabeth didn't usually start on the really important stuff until she was certain everyone would be here to see it, so I was relatively sure we would just be recounting the basics.

It was difficult trying to swallow my fear as I found my regular mount. She was one of the older mares, with a chestnut coat and a muzzle flecked with grey hairs. Her feathers faded from the colour of her body to a darker bay, matching her mane and tail. Her name was Ellie, and she was probably the most well-tempered Pegasus of the lot. Of course, that didn't really mean much as almost every Pegasi on camp grounds was mild-mannered and generally quite eager to do their best. Being kicked from a horse was bad enough. Being kicked from a Pegasi was downright disastrous, and the Apollo cabin already had plenty of healing to do with the climbing wall and weekly rounds of Capture the Flag.

Ellie gave me a friendly nuzzle as I entered her stall, readjusting her wings in anticipation. I patted her neck, before I turned to retrieve her saddle. I struggled to resist the temptation to just hide out in here with her, forgoing the entire flying up in the air thing.

So far, so good. That is, as good as being high up riding a flying horse can be. It was only a few very short steps away from screaming my head off. In fact, I might have been doing just that if I wasn't so scared. Ellie was a darling, as usual, flying as low as I could convince her to fly, keeping the ride smooth and rather steady.

If I kept my eyes closed, I could almost pretend I was on a train.

Although, something was definitely different with the Pegasi this morning. They were well behaved, as they always were, but we could tell something was wrong. They had been glancing around nervously as we led them from the stables, with one or two of the younger, more rebellious steeds almost refusing their riders.

They calmed down a little once they were in the air, their training as mounts kicking in. Annabeth called out various aerial manoeuvres that we were to try from her own steed. I mostly passed, choosing life over the near certainty of death I had decided would accompany even the simplest of moves.

We'd been in the air what must have been half an hour when things really started to go wrong. At the time we didn't know what was happening, we were all scared. The Pegasi stopped responding to most of our commands, turning toward the forest as a herd and starting to fly considerably faster than we were expecting. It was as if they were running from something; terrified of what approached from the opposite direction.

This was disconcerting because these were steeds raised and tested in full battles, where arrows pierced the air, streaking past their muzzles, and these Pegasi would barely bat an eye. They were battle trained, prepared almost from birth to remain calm and obedient to our commands. I mean it was also bloody terrifying because we were hurtling through the air, the horses diving down through the canopies, weaving between trees faster than we could regain our balance.

I heard a few of my siblings yelp as branches hit their faces, and even a scream or two as the Pegasi dipped suddenly.

We were confused; we were scared. I could barely move, my arms wrapped tightly around Ellie's neck, no longer trusting the reins. The few times I opened my eyes to peek at the world I only saw the blurred tree trunks racing past at impossible speeds, and once or twice I caught glimpses of another Pegasus, its rider holding on for dear life, eyes fixed on something behind us.

Okay so I didn't see much. I was too busy being terrified, you know? Looking behind me to see what had scared the Pegasi so was not exactly my top priority. In fact, it numbered among the things that I really didn't want to know, especially while we were still a few meters in the air.

So it was just my luck that I didn't have to turn around to find out. From behind us came the sound of a raven. Regular ravens aren't much of a threat, as I'm sure most people know. They chill out on branches, minding their own business. This particular raven happened to also be a griffin, and griffins… well, let's just say Pegasi aren't too fond of griffins.

From what I understood, griffins on the whole weren't that… nice… to Pegasi. As in, whenever a griffin saw a Pegasus, its first instinct was to hunt it down and make it dinner. Understandably, the Pegasi don't take too kindly to this. This little nugget of information had been shared to Annabeth and I by none other than Percy, who had noticed the winged horses being particularly restless the previous night, and they had been chattering ceaselessly about the new scent on the wind. I had assumed Cinder would be able to resist the urge to chow down on our mounts.

The Pegasi, realising they wouldn't be winning this chase in the air, decided to take to the ground. Which I was really quite happy about. Riding horses I can do. It's close to the ground, doesn't often involve leaving the ground for any reason, and was normally quite a pleasant experience. Almost all of the Pegasi hit the ground at around the same time, the sound of wind whistling around their wings immediately died down, and the thundering of hoofs on forest floor became apparent. Behind us I could now hear the sound of another set of wings moving through the air, no longer concealed by ten other sets. I risked a glance behind me, my arms still wrapped around Ellie's neck, and felt my heart drop.

He wove between trees like a hawk, twisting from side to side as he slipped between them. His eyes were focused on the Pegasi that trailed behind the most. Ellie. Being the oldest of them, she was slower than the others- her old age was starting to catch up to her. I imagined she wouldn't be used in many battles from now on. The difference in speed could mean life or death for both the demigod and the Pegasi. Case in point: Now. At the beginning of the chase it hadn't made quite as much of a difference. All of the Pegasi were fresh from the stables, Ellie included. Time, however, has this horrible habit of continuing. Being the oldest, she tired the fastest, and this cross-country adventure wasn't exactly what she was used to. Fast paced flying? Sure, she could hold out against most of the other Pegasi. She does that every day, soaring through the skies with ease.

Ellie, however, does not run for very long periods of time all too often.

Some of my cabinmates yelled out to me from way ahead, their own mounts slowly disappearing into the forest in front of us as their mounts put too much distance between us. I released my hold on Ellie's neck a little, trying to grab the reins flapping in the air beside my face. The old girl was slowing. I hazarded another glance behind. Cinder was gaining. What was about two hundred meters had been reduced to only a hundred. His dark feathers were hard to spot amongst all of the trunks, the light slowed by the thick canopies above, but his eyes glowed yellow, visible from here as bright pinpricks, halved by black slits.

I mumbled a curse, finally managing to seize Ellie's reigns after what seemed like an age. With one hand holding the pieces of leather tightly, I drew my sword. I never left cabin Six without Skotono- it felt as though I were leaving a piece of myself behind the few times I'd been forced to leave without it. Holding the blade close to my body, I started to steer Ellie toward the right, gently influencing her movements so we went in a wide arc, the griffin behind us slowing a little to turn properly. I glanced back again, narrowing my eyes at the dark shape.  
He was singling us out, that was certain. The bird was ignoring the other Pegasi, streaking towards us. Despite the small amount of ground we gained during the turn, he was still faster. Ellie was slowing even more, unable to run at full gallop any longer. He was going to catch us.

In the time between our turn and his inevitable victory, I started to wonder. Why, exactly, was he chasing after us? He was a sentient creature, he must have known exactly what he was doing. He must have known that if he lay a single claw on any one of us, we would have immediate permission to slice him to ribbons with whatever weapon we had to hand. His temporary protection would disappear in an instant, ruined by none other than him.

I had a bad feeling about this. I had evidently misjudged the bird- he had tricked me. Yesterday I had thought he might be trustworthy; I had thought that maybe, just… just maybe… he wasn't all bad. That perhaps his story was true, that he honestly sought our help.

The more I thought about it in the short period of time, the more I started to feel like a fool. Of course he had been lying- the griffin was a monster, we all knew that. Monsters will only ever seek out a demigod to kill it, never to befriend.

I could almost hear the wind rustling his feathers he was so close, inching closer every second, his talons flexed.  
"Why are you doing this?" I yelled suddenly, turning on the saddle to look at his face. Ellie was struggling, desperately trying to go faster.

Cinder didn't reply, his amber eyes transfixed on the Pegasus I was riding.

All of a sudden the forest brightened, warm sun shining on my back. A moment later, I was falling. My eyes widened as I felt air rushing around me. I tried to look forward- only able to catch a glimpse of a deep brown tail somewhere in the space above me, rapidly moving out of reach. I reached toward it in slow motion, the air forcing my arms upwards anyway. I didn't understand what was happening. It was all too fast, my mind too slow.

A dark shadow moved over me, blocking out the momentary sunlight with a mass of black feathers and fur, long tail streaking behind it. Beneath me… beneath me the ground seemed very far away, the forest dropping off suddenly in steep slopes.

"Cinder!" I shrieked, momentarily forgetting the chase in my panic. Only one thought dominated my mind; I was going to die.


	31. 30 -Cinder

**I, the humble griffin, doth save the demigod. - Cinder**

I was rather confused. One minute I'm riding the wind over Camp Half-Blood, soaring lazily towards the forest to find myself a spot of lunch. The next I'm in the middle of said forest, staring straight at the backside of a Pegasus, while I hear something screeching at me from below.

Again I felt the fog in my mind, my clouded thoughts and everything was too loud.

I blinked in surprise, my momentum slowing considerably, and looked down. The demigod Alyx was plunging through the air beneath me, tears streaming from her eyes behind her as she tumbled straight for the trees fog cleared faster this time.

It took me a further moment to remember that humans don't have wings, and that a fall from that height, even with a descent broken by leaves, would most likely be fatal. Immediately I angled myself toward the ground, folding my wings in, and dived to try and catch up.

I stretched out my forepaws, talons and all, trying to reach the screaming half-blood. It was indeed her that was making the horrific sounds that I heard, her eyes wide with fear.

In all honestly I was doubtful I'd catch her. It was a miracle I closed my claws around her shoulders before she crashed into the canopy at full speed or, worse still, impaled herself on one of the surprisingly sharp branches. As it was I had barely enough time to slow both of us down enough to actually start climbing up in the sky again. We skimmed the uppermost branches, the demigod's t-shirt snagging on the sharpest twigs, which tore as I lifted us back upwards. Her screams had been reduced to whimpers as I lifted us away from the danger, finally regaining control over our course once more. I still didn't understand what was happening, and Alyx seemed like she would be of little help at the moment.

The Pegasus flew above us, streaking through the air back towards camp. I could smell its fear, and I could easily tell that I was the source.

With the screaming half-blood in my claws, it seemed like a good idea to land as soon as possible. I scouted for a suitable spot for a while, searching for a break in the canopy, or at least somewhere the trees were less dense.

To say it was difficult to find such a spot was inaccurate. It was downright impossible. Between the trunks behind us, just before there was a sudden dip in the terrain, seemed like my best bet at first. Until I realised that to pass through them I would need to turn almost horizontal in the air, and that was a little difficult with a passenger. After a few minutes of circling Alyx was starting to regain her composure, and started yelling incoherent insults at me. I glanced down at the demigod, who was getting a little restless.

The next best looking spot wasn't much better than the rest of the area. I started to descend, toward a dead tree that seemed to be lacking most of its branches. It formed a small hole in the dense canopy of the forest. It was too small for me, I could tell that without trying, but I doubted I would be able to continue carrying Alyx in my claws for much longer. Especially as she was writhing against me, as though she wanted to fall again.

She went quiet again as we approached the trees, and I lifted her slightly, closer towards myself. She seemed to get the message, grabbing at the feathers on my chest. I winced at the tugging, before I dipped down, folding my wings around the girl in an attempt to protect her from the bulk of the branches. I needed to avoid causing harm to the demigods as much as possible. I doubted I would be excused for damages that weren't directly my fault.

We fell through the dead tree's limbs, branches snapping around us as we tumbled toward the ground. I twisted in the air, putting my own body between the demigod and the dirt beneath us.

The landing was… rough. My back hit the earth with a heavy thud, pain spiking through my spine. I released my claws the instant we landed, my wings splayed by the force. I skidded a little, dust rising in a cloud around me.

Alyx rolled from my chest immediately, staggering to her feet as she backed away. It took me a moment to recompose myself, before I changed forms. It was rather difficult to stand when you were lying flat on your back with wings.

I stifled a groan, lying flat on the ground. "Why were you falling?" I asked with annoyance, rubbing my eyes.

I was answered with the sound of a blade being drawn, and removed my hands to discover a bronze knife being pointed toward me. Alyx's expression had changed from the fear of falling to a look of hatred. Despite our rather tense meeting, I hadn't seen her with such a harsh glare.

She jabbed the knife in the air, toward me. "I was right to begin with," she said quietly, "We shouldn't have trusted you."

Something was wrong. Something had happened when I blacked out- something, I imagined, to do with the Pegasus. My confusion must have been plain to see on my face, because I saw a flutter of doubt behind the glower.


	32. 31 -Alyx

**I was wrong. - Alyx**

My breath was ragged, my heart still pounding. He lay there on the ground, his hands raised defensively above his head. How could he act so innocent? So nonchalant about what had just happened right in front of his very eyes?

I had dropped Skotono in the fall, my grip releasing in surprise, so I had to rely on my backup dagger, stashed in the combat boots I wore daily. I brandished it before me like it was a totem against evil, the point directed straight toward the monster's throat. Fury bubbled over me, and my words were harsh.

"You had the perfect excuse, you convinced us all-" I started. I felt betrayed. This creature was graced with the camp's protection. Despite the protests from the demigods that lived here, Chiron and Dionysus had allowed him to remain, to be sheltered from the monsters that apparently hunted him. I saw now that his story was likely a lie, fabricated to gain our trust. "- It was an elaborate lie. Even Chiron- And then you attack us? Blow your cover? Clarisse must have been wrong last night-"

"I never attacked anyone," he interrupted quietly, his expression one of confusion. The blatant lie only served to make me angrier, to feed the fire that was my rage.

"You attacked demigods, us, the entirety of my cabin witnessed your attempts to kill. You cannot deny this. Not to my face," I growled. His expression shifted to worry.

The monster shook his head, pushing himself away from my blade, which was getting dangerously close with the steps I was taking toward him. His hands slipped on the loose dirt beneath them, and he fell back. He winced, aggravating the damage done by the fall. I hesitated slightly- why exactly had he helped me?

"I-" He stuttered, trying to get further away from the blade. "-I blacked out- I was over the camp- the courts- and then there was a Pegasus, and you were falling…" he trailed off as he saw me pause. I watched him carefully, knife still brandished.

"You're a monster," I said. Part of me wanted to believe him, against my better judgement. Something about his words seemed sincere. For a moment I saw an image from my dream last night. I saw bloodstained snow, littered with feathers. "We shouldn't have let you in, we should have sent you to Tartarus the moment we found you."

He shook his head again, yellow eyes widening slightly. His pupils were circular again, dilated in response to the darkness. "I swear it- on the River Styx, I don't remember whatever it is you think I've done! I don't-"

I halted in my tracks, and the griffin went silent. We both knew that oaths taken on the River Styx couldn't be broken without horrific consequences. He'd already made one oath, swearing he'd never harmed a demigod that hadn't picked a fight with him first, and here was his second. I looked at the monster there, lying on the ground in a human form. At his feet were the skid marks of a creature much larger than the form that now lay there. I could see where his wings had been. I glanced behind me. In the dirt was an indent, from which was a trail of disturbed earth leading straight to him.

"We were flying on the Pegasi-" I started, calming a little. Recounting the story would give me time to think. "-Everything was going as well as flying could. Our mounts were a tad jumpy, but that's what happens when one of their only predators takes up residence only a short walk from their home." Cinder watched my intently, not daring to move. "Then we lost control. They flew into the woods as a herd. We didn't know what had scared them until we- until we saw you. Flying after us."

I allowed him to sit, retreating a little to lean on one of the many trees in the forest, watching him carefully. My knife was still drawn, and I was tense. He hadn't said a word since I had finished- a good five minutes ago- and was staring straight ahead with glassy eyes.

The forest was quiet around us, and I found myself wondering about my siblings. Without Cinder continuing the chase, they should have managed to wrestle back control over their own mounts. I shifted slightly so that the bark of the tree wasn't digging into my back in such an awkward angle. We had been here for at least half an hour now- maybe they'd made it back to camp-

"I am sorry." The griffin whispered, his voice barely audible.

I looked toward him. He no longer looked as though he were watching events a thousand miles away, his yellow eyes instead looking at the floor in shame, his head bowed low. I straightened, glancing around at the neighbouring trees. "We need to get back to camp," I said. "Only Chiron can decide what happens now."


	33. 32 -Cinder

**The walk of shame. - Cinder**

Once again I found myself with a blade held to my back. This time, though? This time I felt as though I deserved it.

My back ached, and my skin stung. I wouldn't have been surprised if it was covered in small scratches or friction burns. There were a lot of stones in the dirt between where I landed and where I ended.

The demigod didn't say anything else to me. I could still feel her anger radiating from her in waves, I could feel her impatience whenever I stumbled on a branch, or whenever we had to climb over some rocks. We were headed back towards camp, to find Chiron, the centaur.

I had messed up, big time, and I didn't even remember what happened. Something affected me- Something that felt oddly familiar. The same thing that I had felt the night before.

It took a little while for us to reach the edge of the forest. I'd apparently chased them for a fair amount of time, and the Pegasi had only run deeper into the trees. Eventually we started to hear the sounds of camp, breaking into the eerie silence of the woods during the morning. I heard demigods yelling to each other as they took part in their activities, faint at first but slowly growing louder.

Then we broke through the tree line, and everything suddenly got bright again. I paused as the sunlight warmed my skin, closing my eyes for a brief moment, the blade grazing my back almost forgotten. It formed an uncomfortable contrast with the growing heat of the day, and it felt more like an icicle than a knife.

I shuddered as its tip dug into my back a little more as Alyx pressed me to continue, and reluctantly I started forward again. I held my hands out to my side so that she could see them at all times. She had insisted, even after she'd checked me for hidden blades. As if I would carry knives or swords when I have a perfectly good set of claws and teeth.

We moved from the grass onto one of the dirt trails around camp, and we started to pass other half-bloods. My eyes remained firmly on the ground at my feet. I heard mutters around us, as they halted their activities to watch. I heard concerned murmuring, and a couple of triumphant cries, quickly stifled by neighbours. I imagine some cabins had placed bets on how long I would last before I attacked one of their number. Despite these cheerful outbursts, the mood was immediately dampened as we walked past. I started to feel dread climb within me. It wasn't my fault, was it? I didn't know what I was doing- I didn't even know what had happened. Of course, they wouldn't see it like that. If it happened once, it could happen again, and next time? Well, next time the demigods might not be so lucky. The incident last night was only proof of that particular point. Best put me down for good and spare themselves the trouble. What did they really need me for anyway? They already knew what they needed to know about the threat to them. I was disposable. Nothing more than a mess that needed cleaning up.  
It hurt a little. I mean sure I'd only known these people for a few days, but I felt like we had things in common. I felt like we had an understanding.

A part of me kept whispering reminders; _You're a monster. You're their enemy. Of course they want you dead._ I had no place here, I was stupid to think I could just work with the demigods. Now I was going to get sent to Tartarus to join the rest of my flock, unable to show my face for the shame I felt.

I could just imagine it. Everyone gathered in a circle somewhere down in Tartarus, watching me with distaste, disgust even. _Oh look everybody! Here comes Cinder, who decided that standing with the flock and sticking together was a worse idea than turning to the godlings for aid in some dumb attempt at revenge._

I had screwed everything up.


	34. 33 -Alyx

**Our roles are reversed. Call us even now. - Alyx**

As we approached the barn, Chiron burst through its doors. Cinder stopped in his tracks, trying to take a step back, before my blade dug into the small of his back and he quickly stilled. I didn't blame him. Chiron looked like he was about to go on a killing spree.

His bow was slung across his back, quiver at his side filled to the brim with arrows, celestial bronze points glinting in the morning sunlight. He wore his armour, replacing his usual attire with a gleaming breastplate. Upon his head he wore a Greek helmet, his eyes narrowed behind the visor.

Behind him I saw my half-siblings- Annabeth, her own weapon clutched in her hand, was in the lead.

They all stopped in the tracks at the sight of us, and Chiron retrieved an arrow from his quiver, notching it in the blink of an eye, his movements well-practised and precise. The creak of the bowstring seemed deafening, and he aimed it between Cinder's yellow eyes.

The griffin straightened, his head high. Behind the immediate defiance in his eyes, I could see regret. I removed the point of my blade from his back, stepping out from behind him.

"Don't shoot him," I said quietly, unable to stop myself. It didn't feel right letting him get turned to dust. The other demigods stayed back, looking between Chiron and the bird. "He doesn't remember what happened. He swore it, Chiron- on the Styx." They looked towards me.

I could see him waver, his hands paling with the strength of the grip with which he held the bow. "He is a monster, Alyx. Dionysus has agreed that there is no further need for his presence here. The monster told us what he knew."

Cinder glanced toward me, as though to ask what the hell I was doing. The bird said nothing. I could see his hands shaking slightly. I was reminded of what he said of Tartarus back when he first regained consciousness. I remembered the way in which he had spoken of it. Again, images from my nightmare flashed before my eyes. Bloodstained snow.

"Then escort him to the borders and let him go," I replied, edging back toward Cinder. "He told us what he knew because he wanted help, and decided to help us as he did so."

Chiron stood still for a while, not saying anything. A few other half-bloods had gathered, councillors interrupting regular activities to find out what was happening. Our procession through camp had drawn everyone's attention.  
"He caught me when I slipped from my saddle, he put himself in harm's way- His back must be all scratched up from the landing," I urged, slowly positioning myself next to Chiron's arrow. "Nobody else has been hurt by him. Even the two from last night. He kept his side of the deal."

He didn't move, his bow still at full draw, the arrow inches from Cinder's face.

Then, he lowered it. He returned the arrow to its quiver, and the bow to his back, and regarded the bird coldly. "You have made quite the impression on Alyx. I've never known her to defend the life of a monster before." I caught my breath in my throat as he turned to me, his eyes softening behind the visor. "So be it. Take Annabeth with you, and show the Griffin out. If he wishes to remain intact, I recommend he never return here."


	35. 34 -Cinder

**Even. - Cinder**

And so concluded my brief and rather unpleasant stay at Camp Half-Blood. I had ventured into the heart of enemy territory and I was returning alive.

Annabeth- who I now knew was the Blond girl from the Athena cabin who seemed hellbent on killing me- led the way to Half-Blood Hill. Alyx walked behind me, her knife held weakly in her hand. Her grey eyes stared rather incessantly at my back, but I got the feeling her mind was elsewhere. I, of course, stood in between the two. I didn't look back. I didn't have to. I knew that the assembled demigods were watching me, the centaur still standing outside the red barn with his bow slung across his back, hands itching for its grip to be back in them. I could feel the murderous intent from all the way over here.

Neither demigod said anything as we climbed the hill. Neither said anything when we reached the pine tree, with the golden fleece shimmering in its lowest branches, and neither said anything when I passed over the camp's border. I was a monster- I could not return over its thresh hold without some special circumstances that I wasn't particularly sure of. I only got in the last time because demigods dragged me over, believing I was one of their own. In other words, they'd given me permission to enter. They'd 'summoned' me.

It was only when I had stepped over that I turned back. Annabeth had started to walk back down, leaving Alyx standing there, still staring at me. I dipped my head. "Thank you," I said. There was no edge to my voice, none of the regular poison that tainted my tone whenever I spoke to the demigods. No, my words were sincere. Had she not stepped in I would be dust, drifting away on the wind. And right about now, I would be in the depths of Tartarus.

She didn't say anything, her mind still elsewhere. I turned back, toward the distant skyscrapers. I would probably be dead in a week anyway. I doubted there would be any monsters who were particularly partial to my cause out here. I doubted any would let me live if I encountered them.

I changed forms, and without a second glance I leaped into the air and took off, swerving a little as the mild damage I had caused myself earlier flared up. I didn't look back a second time.


	36. 35 -Alyx

**Not my best idea... - Alyx**

At first, I didn't think of the griffin again. I stood at the top of the hill, watching as he became nothing more than a dark spot in an otherwise clear sky, and then finally disappeared into the distance. I stood for a while after that, my mind lost as I thought about what had happened the past few days. It felt like it had been longer- it felt as though Cinder had been here for a full week, not the three days he had actually stayed.

Then I let out a long sigh, feeling a burden being lifted from my shoulders. He wasn't my problem anymore. He was gone from camp, and that was that. I turned and started down the hill, my mind already moving on to the other activities of the day. Somewhere in my subconscious, however, my nightmare poked at my waking mind.

The next few days passed without incident. There were whispers around the camp about Cinder, but they slowly silenced as we got distracted with regular training. The summer began in earnest, and things returned to normal for everyone else.

I, however, couldn't shake the nightmare. I remembered it at inopportune moments during my waking hours, suddenly getting flashes of the bloodstained snow, and the horrific deaths I had witnessed that night. I know, I know, they're only monsters- they shouldn't be affecting me so strongly. But the problem was, their deaths were. Something about the dream made them feeling like friends, family, even. I felt as though each death was a shot to my own heart, as though I were seeing my own father get killed a hundred times over.

For the first two nights after Cinder had left, I had no dreams. I was fine with this- no nightmares plagued my slumber. Afterwards that changed, and I started having more vivid nightmares that felt so real I woke up with my own skin aching. In two of them I had been flying; soaring over rolling green fields before dropping to the ground and staggering on wards. I felt pain in my shoulder and my leg that wouldn't fade, and I felt the warmth of my own blood dripping from the wounds, trickling down my skin and soaking the T-shirt I wore. I felt isolated and alone, with my only hope seemingly further and further away with every step I took. I woke from these dreams feeling perhaps more exhausted than I had gone to sleep, with my muscles aching and the strange sensation that I had wings.

The rest of my dreams took place in a much dirtier setting- I saw the billboards of New York, the crowds of people, and the dank allies that littered the city. I was attacked by groups of monsters, barely able to escape their clutches alive. Each new scratch I obtained during the nightmares stung during my waking hours. But, of course, there wasn't a single dream scratch on me. Of course I had a couple from daily training with my cabin, but those, the ones I was so sure were real, seemed far less painful than those obtained in the nightmares.

It must have been about five nights after these nightmares returned that I finally decided I'd had enough.

I opened my eyes groggily that morning, clutching my side, where my latest dream- wound had been inflicted. This one was worse than any of the others. Shuddering, I sat up. One of my brothers- Malcolm- gave me a concerned look as he went about his daily routine, preparing his own sword for our later activities.

My cabin mates were starting to notice my nightmares, in which I was apparently starting to get quite vocal. Annabeth had suggested I speak to Chiron. I had brushed the idea off, at first. They were just nightmares, right? Every demigod gets horrific nightmares at some point or another. But I had to admit these ones were particularly strange. Regular nightmares don't give you phantom pains for wounds you'd never actually received.

Sadly it wasn't until that afternoon that I was able to confront Chiron. The centaur, as usual, had been quite busy. We had just finished our archery session, in which he had been mentoring us. The other members of cabin six started to head back to our cabin to wait for dinner. I hung back, waiting for everyone to leave before I started to speak.

"Chiron-" I started, my voice wavering slightly. I still wasn't entirely sure this was the right thing to do. Part of me just wanted to run back and catch up with the rest of my cabin and hope the nightmares stopped on their own. The sensible part of me knew that they would not. "-I've had…"

The centaur turned toward me, looking at me with his usual kind eyes. "Nightmares?"

I went quiet, and nodded.

He returned the practise bow he had been holding to its stand, repositioning himself so he was facing me front on. "Annabeth mentioned your fitful sleep, child. What happens in them?"

I was reluctant at first, quiet as I tried to figure out how best to explain them- how best to put into words how real the dreams felt. I started talking, hesitant and unsure. Chiron waited patiently, and I found myself explaining everything- every little detail, from the dying griffins, to the way I hit the ground as I travelled cross country.

It took a while to explain everything- the words kept pouring from my mouth, and I was unable to stop myself. Speaking to Chiron sometimes had that effect. He was always someone you could trust- he was sincere in his desire to help you, and he listened to every word and treated it with importance, no matter how trivial the matter. To all of the demigods residing at camp he was a father figure, always there.

He listened intently, his expression darkening at times. When I had finished, he was quiet for a while. I stood there, ever so slightly out of breath, waiting for his assessment.

Eventually, he spoke. "You were right to come to me," he said, putting a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "Your dreams are showing you events of the past, and perhaps some of the present."

I frowned. "Why?" My voice was hesitant and quiet.

He was silent again, looking toward the forest. His brow was furrowed in thought. "What you are seeing are the memories of the Griffin- Cinder. I can only assume that your most recent dreams are memories from events that have taken place in the past few days."

I didn't want to be seeing his memories. "Why?" I asked again, this time with perhaps slightly more force than I had anticipated. The news didn't come as that much of a surprise- Cinder was, after all, the only griffin I knew of. I just didn't understand why I was seeing what he had seen- I didn't understand why it was affecting only me.

Chiron shook his head, looking back at me. "I do not know, child. I can only assume that his story was true- you recounted it in perfect detail. A new force is rising somewhere in the north, biding its time before it attacks us at full might."

His answer didn't satisfy me- far from it, actually. I hadn't thought about the griffin's story with much seriousness. I'd pondered its validity, of course, run through what little I knew of his encounter through my mind, trying to glean which parts of it were the truth. I hadn't realised that the first of my nightmares had given me a vivid retelling of the event itself, complete with languages I didn't understand. A shiver ran down my spine as the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Something was coming, and I had a suspicion it had something to do with the bird- with Cinder. "What are we going to do about it?"

He thought about my question for a minute or two, before he finally answered. "There isn't much we can do right now," he said. "I will confer with Miss Dare, and Mr. D."

I was quiet, waiting for him to continue, to give the call to action- to start a quest. Something like this couldn't be ignored, could it? I had seen first hand (well, near enough to it) what that army of monsters could do. I'd seen their numbers, the swarms of them, and the violence with which they exterminated fellow monsters. I felt ill just thinking about it.

"Thank you for telling me about your nightmares, child." He said, eventually. "Return to your cabin for now- if they persist tonight, you should speak to Clovis. He may be able to help you." His tone was dismissive, the finality of his words suggesting that the conversation had been concluded.

I stood there for a moment or two longer, before I turned and started back toward cabin six. Essentially, I had been told to sit tight and wait. To ignore the dreams- the warning signs- and write them off as pesky nightmares that should be forgotten about. I felt anger start to rise in me, followed quickly by guilt. It wasn't Chiron's fault. He was speaking the truth when he said there wasn't much we could do. A quest couldn't go ahead without a prophecy, and so far we only had hearsay. The only proof of danger was the combined word of a monster, and a demigod's nightmares.

To others, I imagine, it would have seemed ludicrous to start worrying over something with evidence so trivial. I couldn't agree, though. I knew what I had seen, and Chiron himself had confirmed that what I had seen wasn't simply my mind playing tricks on me. There was a danger, and I was sure it was headed toward Camp Half- Blood. I was sure it was on its way here, just like Luke's army of monsters. Except this time, I was almost certain the monstrous regiments were far larger. It gave me a bad feeling.

Back in cabin six I found it difficult to concentrate. Now, like all demigods, I have ADHD, so not being able to concentrate is somewhat normal for me. But this particular evening it was different. In normal circumstances I could at least focus my attention on the page of a book. It took me a while to read, but I would slowly make my way through it. Tonight I couldn't even read a single word my mind was so crowded.

I was aware of every sound- every footstep from my cabin, and the cabins nearest us. I swear I could hear every person in my cabin breathing. I noticed each flicker of the curtains at the windows, and every single cloud that passed in front of the sun. My mind couldn't move past my dreams. They were still fresh in my mind, vivid and lifelike. I remembered each move I- Cinder had made in his fights, each duck and every nick. My side throbbed in protest, and I could have sworn I felt the blood slowly trickling down my hips.

I remembered the weakness I felt after that wound had been inflicted, after Cinder managed to kill the attacking monster- a serpentine creature that had held a bronze-tipped spear. He had staggered away from the cloud of dust, backing into the alleyway they had fought in. He fell against the dumpsters, breath ragged.

He was our best lead on the monsters. Being a monster himself, I would assume he knew something of armed uprisings. At the very least he would know more than we did here, at Camp Half- Blood. And yet here we were, dithering as we tried to figure out whether it was worth a quest, while he was out there probably dying. My hand went to the spot just below my ribs, feeling my cold hands even through my t-shirt. I got the feeling that he wouldn't be anywhere we could reach him by the time a quest was sorted out. He would have long passed back into Tartarus, where there was no telling how long it would take for him to re- form.

So my dumb self decided to form a plan. So much for being child of Athena, the Goddess of wisdom. At least I could acknowledge how bad my plan was. It consisted of leaving the camp under the cover of night- when the other campers were asleep- and heading into New York to try and find the injured griffin before he invariably got himself killed.

Like I said, I know it's a stupid plan. First off, walking around camp during night time is dangerous. The cleaning harpies- Aello, Celaeno, and Ocypete- were known to attack demigods caught wandering camp grounds a night. Although, if anyone could make it out undetected, it would be me. Second, it was a long way to New York from Camp Half- Blood. And third, arguably most importantly, the only navigational hints I had to help me find my way were snippets of billboards and shops from my dreams- from Cinder's memories. That, and New York was swarming with monsters just waiting to chow down on some Demigod hide. Some groups of demigods weren't able to make it through the city for all the monsters, and here I was thinking about traversing the place all alone.

But desperate times call for desperate measures. Even if those measures are idiotically desperate. I couldn't just sit at camp and pretend everything was all sunshine and daisies, especially not when my dreams were so adamant on reminding me every two seconds that things were, in fact, not all sunshine and daisies.

And so it was that I found myself standing at the door to Cabin Six, heavy backpack slung over my shoulders, Skotono in its sheath by my side (We'd retrieved it a few days ago, finally finding the crash site again), gearing myself up to step outside and start the whole train wreck. I had gone back early from the campfire to pack, hiding my bag beneath my bed when I heard my cabin mates approaching. I had lay in bed, wide awake, pretending to sleep as I waited for the others to fall asleep themselves. I had moved silently, pulling the bag soundlessly from beneath the bed, and I had moved to where I was now.

I took a deep breath, clenching my fists, and reached toward the door. I turned its handle, and slowly opened it. A cool breeze moved past me, bringing with it the smell of sea salt from the ocean. I stepped outside, carefully closing the door behind me. I had left my cabin undetected. That was step one. Now for steps two through a hundred.


	37. 36 -Alyx

**okay so I feel I should mention I do not live in the US (as might have been obvious from my spellings of words like colour or phrases that people over the pond might not use idk) so please excuse any weird bits that don't make that much sense. I do plan on going back through this when/if I finished it to tidy up literally everything so if you do see something I would appreciate being told if I'm completely wrong.**

 **google maps is literally my best friend**

* * *

 **I'm really going to regret this in the morning. - Alyx**

I kept to the shadows as I moved through camp, staying as close to the forest tree line as possible. The harpies tended to prefer the more open areas, and there was more foliage nearer the trunks.

The night was clear, the stars just about visible in the sky, with a couple of wispy clouds meandering across the blanket of navy. The moon was a thin sliver, which was useful for me. It was dark on the ground, the shadows cast by buildings and bushes were almost indistinguishable from the rest of the murk.

My moonlit adventured proved quite simple, really. Even boring. I had to stop a couple of times as I heard movements somewhere just ahead, before I realised the source of the sound was something mundane, like a tree branch knocking against a fence, or a fox darting through bushes.

I reached the base of Half Blood Hill without much hassle, really. I stood by the pine tree, my hand resting lightly on its bark. Peleus slept soundly at its base, coiled around the tree. I didn't wake him, and moved swiftly from the top. Being high up would only heighten my chances of getting caught.

The ground changed beneath my feet as I stepped up onto the road, and I finally breathed a sigh of relief. I'd done it- I was out. I sped up a little, hastening to a speed walk as I travelled down the road. It had been a few months since I'd been in the mortal world. I, like a few of the other demigods, was a year-rounder. I'd go back home maybe for Christmas every year or two, but for the most part I stayed away from my father. He didn't need the constant worry of being attacked on top of everything he had to deal with.

My relief was quickly forgotten as memories of my previous experiences out here came flooding back. The monster attacks were the first to be remembered, followed by the battle of Manhattan. That was the last time I'd been out here, and it hadn't been a very pleasant experience.

I sped up to a jog, feeling my spine tingle as though I could feel eyes on my back, watching my every move. I was in for a long night. It would be a while before I reached any form of public transport- I had only mortal money to spend, and even that was… lacking.

I existed primarily on coffee for the rest of that night and a decent way into the morning. I stopped for a couple of hours near the road to rest, sleeping for only a few hours before my nightmares woke me again and I was unable to sleep longer.

So I continued on wards, making my way toward Southampton. From there, I had enough money to catch the train to Long Island City, and from there… From there I would be close enough to start my search in earnest.  
I know, I know. It's sounds so stupid. New York was massive. I was looking for a needle in a haystack the size of the Empire States Building. But I knew this was the right way to go. I had a feeling I would find Cinder- I wasn't too sure where exactly, but I knew I would be able to.

By the time I reached the train station, the sun was high in the sky. I stepped from the carriage onto the platform, readjusting the bag on my shoulders. By this time, I imagined that my absence back at camp would have been noticed. I wasn't too sure what would be done in search of me, but at this point I couldn't think about that. A twinge of guilt poked my insides, before I cleared it from my mind and set off into the streets of the city.

I scanned the billboards as I walked, very rarely looking at where I was actually going. I scoured the adverts for ones I remembered, going mostly by colour. I hadn't seen them for long enough to really pick out the details- only vague shapes that even now were blurring further.

The sun drifted across the sky, briefly obscured for an hour or so as clouds decided to dump a light drizzle over the city. I hadn't prepared for bad weather- I'd almost forgotten it had existed. The weather at Camp Half-Blood was never anything less than perfect. Well, that was unless some world-breaking event was happening, but it had been a couple of weeks since one of those so I'd mostly put them from my mind.

My orange T-shirt started to stick to my back a little as the drizzle slowly worked its way in, soaking the fabric through steadily. I called it quits about part-way through the shower, taking shelter beneath a coffee shop's canopy. I moved on quickly when the rain stopped, all too aware of the glares I was getting from the cafe staff.

It wasn't really until the sun had started to get low that I made any significant progress. I'd been wandering the general area for hours by this point, and my exhaustion was starting to catch up. I'd caught I brief nap on the train, but I'd long since run out of coffee. If I came across a monster, I was pretty sure I would die.

I kept moving, though. I didn't stop looking, and it was good that I didn't. It must have been fifteen minutes after I'd started seriously considering giving up and turning back home, when I saw something I recognised.

On one of the taller buildings of this particular block, I saw a huge billboard. It was identical to the one I'd seen in my dream, which was starting to look quite fuzzy now as well. Its metal was covered in peeling sky blue paint, which I imagine would have matched the sky, had it not been as faded as it was. Plastered on the board itself, with strips hanging down where the glue was wearing away, was a smiling woman. She held a jar in her hands- I think it was a type of sauce or something- and honestly looked like she was dead inside. There was a phrase beside her, written in huge white letters that clashed with the bright yellow background. It hurt my eyes trying to read it- I got about as far as the first letter (Which was a T) when I gave up.

Besides, I didn't have the time to stand around admiring advertisements. As soon as I saw the board and recognised it, I set to finding the alley from which I had seen it. My need for sleep was seemingly abandoned, and I dashed across the road, surprising the few people I had to push past. A car screeched, and I heard someone using some very colourful language. I didn't care though- this was it.


	38. 37 -Alyx

**Aww, kitty! - Alyx**

I slowed as I neared the alleyway, recognising the dark green bins, one on either side. Unlike the other allies of this particular street, this one was dark and grimy. The walls looked charred, and it was almost exactly opposite the advert I recognised. I paused before I turned the corner into it, straightening out my T-shirt a bit and listening.

I couldn't hear anything from inside, the background noise was too much. I shrugged to myself, and entered, squeezing between the two dumpsters.

It was really dark in here. Above me the fire escapes for the buildings either side obscured the sunlight, with a couple of old pieces of furniture hanging from some of the levels effectively blocking off the rest. I could just about make up a mass of ivy at the end, winding up the walls. At its base I saw a small black shape that seemed to shimmer slightly.

The shape looked up as I entered, yellow eyes watching me intently. They looked duller than I remembered- more tired- and they flashed threateningly. I stopped in my tracks, hand automatically finding the hilt of my sword (which I feel I should mention appeared as an umbrella to any mortals, thanks to the mist). I was a tad confused by its size- it seemed no larger than an overgrown house cat. In fact, I was sure I was just mistaking its yellow eyes for Cinder's, when I heard him speak.

"So you lot changed your minds, did you? Decided that being chased down by other monsters wasn't enough?" The shape stood up with difficulty, and I confirmed that he did indeed look like a cat. What little light there was illuminated his form as he took a step forward, ragged black fur that looked almost like feathers in places covered his body. His form seemed indistinct, wavy at the edges at times.

I squinted at the griffin, and realised the mist was masking him. I couldn't help but smile at little at the thought of the self-confident Cinder appearing as little more than a cat to mortals. I focused more on him, and I saw his actual form.

I sorta… forgot…? To answer his question, and he didn't take too kindly to the smile I tried to hide. He let out a low growl, his tail flicking from side to side. As the mist faded from my vision his stature returned, and it suddenly became a lot less amusing as the griffin towered above me, bearing the teeth normally hidden by his beak. His ears- which were a lot like a lion's tipped with feathers- were flattened against his head, and his wings were splayed either side of him. His claws glinted in what little light there was. Something about him seemed off, though. He preferred his right side, and most of his weight was held on his forepaws. His menacing expression mostly stopped by his eyes, which, as I mentioned earlier, seemed duller than they had been only a week ago.  
"You alright, bird?" I asked cautiously, putting my hands up before me, showing they were empty. I could hear a slow dripping, and the alleyway had a slightly metallic scent to it.

His claws relaxed the smallest amount as I said the words, but his feathery mane still stood on end, sufficiently making him seem quite a bit scarier than he might have actually been. He took another step forward, the action accompanied by another splatter of something onto the concrete, and he wasn't able to hide his wince this time. "I'm absolutely marvellous," he lied, stretching his wings a little further. "Now if you're just here for small talk, scram before I decide you'll make a nice meal."

It was about this point where I realised where the dripping was coming from, as a wave of air rushed down the alleyway, washing the metallic smell toward me. It was thick and heavy, the kind of smell that clings to your nose. It was a very memorable smell, and it was one I'd smelt before. It was the smell of blood- slightly damp and tinged with metal, and the memories it brought back sent a shiver down my spine. In the griffin's side, glistening faintly with reflected light, was a deep wound. A trail darkened his already black feathers, from the wound to his chest, and it slowly dripped. Further back in the alley, where he'd been lying before my arrival, I could see a small pool of drying blood, only now visible because I was searching for it. At a cursory glance, it could have been a small puddle of water, or just a damp patch on the concrete ground. The phantom pain in my own side- corresponding exactly to the location of Cinder's wound- flared up.

"You're hurt-" I started taking a step forward, ignoring his threat.

I stopped again as he snarled, my hands up defensively. "Either finish me off or leave me to the monsters," he interrupted, stretching his claws on the ground so they grated horribly against the stone.

I frowned, starting to notice smaller cuts and slices on his scaled forelegs, and his general unkempt appearance. His feathers were ruffled at odd angles, his fur scraggly and flecked with dried blood, with a couple of particles of golden dust. "I didn't come here to-"

He let out a short, humourless laugh, trying to shift his weight further to his right. "You didn't come here to kill me? As if. You lot are just as murderous as monsters, and they've already had their fair share of attempts on my life. We're not at your cursed camp anymore, demigod," he snarled, his voice taking on a more menacing tone. "Nothing here stops me from lifting you into the air and dropping you from great heights."

"You look like you're going to collapse any moment just from standing up," I pointed out, "let alone fly."

He blinked at me for a few moments, before I heard him mutter a curse under his breath. "Yeah well I still have claws, and you don't know how many half-bloods I've killed."

My frown deepened, "… Except you swore on the river Styx that you didn't kill any-"

"Well no I said I hadn't mortally wounded any that hadn't been asking for it, but I can change, y'know?"

I was quiet for a moment, starting to notice just how pathetic he was. Everything right now was just show. His feathers were fluffed up to make himself more threatening, and he hadn't taken a single step without shaking slightly with the effort. "Stop interrupting me and just accept that maybe I don't want to kill you and maybe I actually kinda believe your story and might want to help you against this army of monsters and their mysterious leader."

He opened his beak to say something more, but stopped part way. He was frozen in place, yellow eyes shifting to look behind me, his ears pricking up, angled forward. I kept my own mouth shut, realising that he'd heard something that stood out. I backed toward the side of the alley, taking cover behind one of the dumpsters, and rested my hand on the hilt of my sword. He still hadn't moved.

"What?" I whispered, peering over the top of the black lid.

His eyes flicked toward me, and he tensed. I was not dignified with an answer.


	39. 38 -Cinder

**Can't a griffin die in peace?! - Cinder**

I didn't feel good. I'm noticing the common theme here. Why am I the one who keeps getting wounded? I get all the cuts and scrapes and the stabs and the bruises! And what does Alyx have to show? A scratch. Tops.

As I'm sure she's told you in great detail, I had a hole in my side. I was bleeding. I think quite a lot. I'm not sure, at that point I was fairly certain I was hallucinating from blood loss. Is that a thing? It probably is. So of course I was surprised when I saw little miss sunshine walk into my alley, that I had so wonderfully claimed as my own (I am not going to explain how that works by the way.) and covered in my own blood. And I wasn't too friendly to her, either. Which I also think was well within my rights. The demigods were very hostile toward me, and I was no longer under their restraints. If I wanted to I could very well separate her body from her head.

But we had bigger problems. Since I had left said camp I had been bombarded with attack after attack from monsters. Mostly during the night, they came for me with teeth and claws bared, and I, for the most part, fended them off with my own teeth and claws. Things had started to fall apart I think three nights ago. Until that point it had only been one or two monsters at a time- fairly low-level creatures that were really beneath me. I crushed them without much effort, and any scrapes I received I brushed off in a few hours, able to sleep in some corner of New York.

Three nights ago, though, was when I found this alley. Boy was that a mistake. I settled down for the night, happy to find a complete lack of monsters that day, and fell asleep. I was quite rudely awoken by a few pairs of paws digging their claws into my skin. That was when I started struggling. Instead of the one or two it was five or six, and it was hard to put them down. They got in a couple of good hits, slicing into my flesh. And these wounds were fairly deep- I'm pretty sure at least one was two inches in and about three in length. Proper gashes. These ones take longer to heal, of course. My body needs more time to figure out what's gone wrong and how in hell it can resolve the problem.

Which meant that by the time the next set of monsters came- a hefty group the next night- I wasn't fully recovered. So really we were fighting on uneven terms. It's bad sportsmanship, really. As we fought… well, I made a mistake. It was the last monster, and just as I slammed it to the ground it stuck me with its… its… spine? Right deep and all, I could feel it way in there. The monster died, and bam. Now I had a hole in me with nothing but blood leaking out.

I was lucky. Or really, really unlucky. It depends on how you look at it. On one hand, it hadn't gone deep enough or hit anything that important, so I didn't immediately explode into dust. I was relatively alive. But I wasn't strong enough to fend off another round. I wasn't even strong enough to drag my sorry ass out of that alley.

So instead I lay down and curled up, and I tried to conserve my energy. A couple of mortals tried to approach me, cooing at me like they would to a cat, but my growls seemed sufficient to scare them off. It was dark, so I guess they couldn't exactly see me. I wasn't delusional, though. I knew full well I wasn't going to live. It was too late for me, y'know? I was done for. Dead. Gone. I might as well have already been scattered on the wind. I just wanted to enjoy my last few hours in peace.

Then the demigod showed up.

And that brings us just about up to date on my marvellous life. There we were in the alleyway, and I heard something. Smelt it, too. The unmistakable scent of other monsters- a dull musk that lingers and is immediately apparent no matter your surroundings. Take now, for example. All I could smell was my own blood, but the scent of other monsters cut straight through that. I also heard feathers on the air, a sound as familiar to me as that of my own breathing. The wings belonged to something lighter than a griffin, though. And it was accompanied by screeching, high pitched and really quite irritating. Harpies. Not too many, three or four, perhaps. They had flocked toward the scent of blood like... well, like harpies at the scent of a single morsel of food. It would have been enough to finish me off. Especially as I wasn't particularly inspired to fight it.

But hey that's what demigods are for. Messing things up. She crouched behind the bin, drawing her infernal sword, the bronze blade shining in the light. The harpies chattered to each other, just around the corner. They could smell me as well. The scent of my blood must be drifting far, I guess. Wind and stuff.

I wasn't going to be able to stand for much longer. I was quite surprised I was lasting this long, actually. I felt weak. Numb.

The harpies fluttered into view, the leader- a larger hag with speckled grey feathers- rounded the corner. Her face twisted from mild annoyance to utter joy, blackened teeth showing through her grin. "We found him!" She shrieked, pointing a clawed finger toward me as her sisters moved in beside her. One had reddish feathers, a deep burgundy accented with cream, and the last one, the third, was a pale brown, with darker feathers on her back. They cackled in agreement, and they started to advance, muttering to one another.

I splayed my wings weakly, barely able to spread them half-way before I stumbled. The world was going fuzzy again, damnit. Colours streaked together to form strange puddles of colour in my vision.

"We smelled his blood," the red one confirmed, landing with a hollow thud on the lid of the leftmost dumpster, the one Alyx was crouched behind. The girl was an orange smudge to me. "We tracked him!" she said. She sounded like she was mumbling.

The first harpy said something in response, too quietly for me to hear. It took a second for me to realise it was because my own hearing was going strange.

I blinked a couple of times, seeing the splotches grow bigger as the harpies closed in. The red hag reached the end of her dumpster, the vanguard for her sisters. I could see Alyx holding her sword, the metal glowing softly in the light, just dim enough to remain concealed. The harpy leaned forward, preparing her wings to jump at me, and Alyx thrust the blade upwards. At least half of the sword disappeared into the harpy, and the monster barely had enough time to cry out in surprise before it exploded into gold dust.

Alyx darted toward me, skittering back around to face the harpies. She stood in front of me, like a living half-blood shield. Geez, she was just going to get herself killed.

The other two harpies were stunned at the dissipating dust, stopping mid-air as they processed what had happened. A moment later and they were on us- or rather, on Alyx. I was still a bit out of it. They flew forward, blurs to me as they lunged at the demigod, claws extended, shrieking horribly.


	40. 39 -Alyx

**Take that, harpies! - Alyx**

I managed to duck under the first set of claws, hitting the ground with my shoulder and rolling back to my feet on the other side. Cinder stood there dumbfounded, his blood dribbling slowly from the wound. I tried not to look, instead refocusing my attention on the harpies. The one with grey feathers narrowed her eyes, her face a mask of anger. "Filthy half-blood!" she screeched, baring her teeth at me. The other was making her way toward Cinder, slowly moving toward him as he took a step back.

I lunged forward at the grey harpy, slashing Skotono swiftly toward her chest. She flicked her wings at the last minute, darting backwards as the blade clipped the primaries from the nearest wing. A few fragments of feather fluttered to the ground, and the harpy cried out again, toward her sister. They chattered something quickly to one another, too fast for me to decipher, and the brown-feathered harpy turned away from Cinder. The griffin was swaying on his feet, his legs quivering with the effort of remaining upright.

Again the harpies lunged at me, taking opposite sides with their claws outstretched. I blocked the first with the flat of my blade, pushing brown-feathers away from me and bringing up the sword again to slash at grey-feathers for the second time. This time I hit flesh, and Skotono sliced across her chest. It drew blood, but wasn't quite deep enough to cause the monster to explode into dust. I cursed under my breath, taking a few steps backward as brown-feathers regained her footing and dashed at me.

Brown-feathers crashed into the dumpster as she overshot, and I made to thrust the sword into her. Grey-feathers leaped again, catching my arm before I was able to connect with brown-feathers. The harpy latched on, her claws digging into my arm as she scratched at my eyes with the other hand. I couldn't help but raise my right hand to my face, the blade coming with it as I tried to stop my eyes being gouged out. Brown-feathers was standing up again, hissing and spitting, flicking the rubbish from her wings. I fell backwards, hitting the ground hard. Grey-feathers fell on top of me, still doing her best to remove my eyes.

I kicked forward, managing to catch grey-feathers in the leg. Her hand loosened on my arm, and she stopped clawing at my face for a few seconds. I took the opening, bringing Skotono up and forward, pushing it into the harpy's shoulder. Grey-feathers gave one last screech of surprise as she exploded into golden dust, and the scratches on my arm were suddenly exposed to air.

I took a quick breath as pain stung across my forearm. I almost forgot about Brown-feathers, who, upon seeing her second sister die, was more furious than ever. I was barely able to stagger to my feet before she launched herself toward me, dust forming a cloud around her. She caught me in the chest, throwing me further from the alley, past the first set of dumpsters as I tried to swing my sword in her general direction.

My efforts were in vain, and Skotono flew from my hand as I moved back. I heard it clatter against the flagstones further in, and the surprised growl of Cinder as it landed a little too close to him.

The harpy was closing in, her teeth bared. "Bad half-blood," she informed me calmly, "Eat your eyes, we will."  
I struggled backwards, using my hands to push myself away. The harpy leaped forward, and promptly exploded into dust.


	41. 40 -Cinder

***** ** _Faints Dramatically_** *** - Cinder**

My vision ebbed and flowed, dark patches slowly starting to cloud over the beautiful dumpsters and damp alleyway before me. I could feel the breeze from the harpy wings, and hear the crashing sounds as the demigod stumbled and fell, but I couldn't keep my head clear for long enough.

Then there came a split second where everything was clear- the dark splotches dissipating, and I saw the harpy. It was facing Alyx, its back turned to me, and the monster was saying something. The hag lunged forward, her claws ready to rend through the girl's flesh.

It was that moment that I chose to launch myself forward. For that brief moment, there was no pain. There was no blood slowly dribbling down my fur, and I could feel the last rays of sunlight on my feathers. I swiped with my right hand, my claws raking through the harpy as its own claws grazed the demigod's skin, and I was covered in monster dust again.

In that instant the pain returned, crashing into me like a bus going 70 miles per hour. That's happened to me before- its not fun.

I couldn't hold myself up as my front legs hit the ground, and I landed heavily on the demigod. After that everything went dark.

I came to a couple of hours later. The sun had finished setting, and the alley was now dark and cold. For a few moments I forgot about the lovely hole in my side. That was until I felt something jabbing me, and I growled. The demigod yelped, jumping backwards and going straight into one of the dumpsters.

"Don't growl at me," she said, rubbing the new bump she had on her head, "I'm trying to help." She held the other hand out in front of her defensively, and I could see the glisten of dark liquid staining her skin.

A shudder ran down my spine, and I tried to stand up. "Don't go poking around a sleeping griffin's wounds, half-blood."

Alyx frowned, watching as I managed to get into a sitting position. I hated how my legs shuddered. I hated how such a simple action was so difficult. "I needed to do something about all of the blood, and I couldn't exactly move you. Any moment now another monster is going to-"

She went quiet as she saw my glare. I sat there for a couple of minutes, contemplating my options. The demigod got bored of standing there about half-way through and walked toward the entrance of the alleyway to check the street outside. I could try and leave her here, ditch her somehow? Except I was hurt and I seriously doubted I could make it more than a block away at most. I glanced up at the street, which was mostly empty at this time. The thought of walking even a couple of steps made my side ache just a little more. Okay so that option was out.

I could stick it out here and wait for my not so glorious death, and then brave the pits of Tartarus and- Yeah. I didn't really feel like going to Tartarus. Something about being surrounded by monsters who hated my guts did not appeal to me.

… Which left the last option. Accept the demigod's help. After all, that was the reason I had travelled all this way in the first place. Sure, it wasn't the army of godlings I had hoped for, but… one is better than none, right? At the very least I could use her to get somewhere I could heal.

Alyx turned back toward me, and looked me up and down. "You need to shift," she said eventually.

"I need to what?"

"Become human? Change shape? Shift forms? I'm calling it shifting from now on, you're basically a shape shifter."  
I blinked at her a couple of times, my mind taking a moment to catch up. I was hurt, okay? I was not working at peak efficiency. The ins and outs of words in English eluded me. "Why would I do that? If anything I'm more likely to pass out in a smaller form."

She raised an eyebrow. "You're a few minutes away from passing out again in that form, and I can't help you while you're griffin shaped. You're too heavy. You wouldn't believe how long it took me just to get your dumb unconscious body off me earlier."

The demigod had a point. I was weak, and my vision was already clouding over with the effort of sitting up. I didn't say anything for a moment longer, before I lowered my eyes. "Fine," I muttered.

She opened her mouth as if to argue, before she paused. "You will?"

"Yes," I confirmed, trying to blink away the new clouds of darkness. "I think I might pass out again, so-" I stopped as another spike of pain fluttered through my side. Alyx took a step forward, and I went for it.

I changed shape, or 'shifted', as the demigod put it. For about point three seconds I was feeling pretty good. I was on my feet, my mind was clear and everything was great. Then I passed out, and the last thing I remember was my legs buckling beneath me.


	42. 41 -Alyx

**This doesn't look good. - Alyx**

You know, I think this must have been the third or fourth time he'd passed out on me like this. We'd only known each other for a few days. How does that even happen?

I had to move quickly to break his fall, darting forward and cushioning him with myself. Again. My skin scraped against the ground on my forearms, adding to the growing collection of cuts, scrapes, and bruises I had started earlier that day. I grumbled as I moved from beneath him, pushing his dead weight into an easier position to manage. I stood up, brushing off my trousers and taking a moment to breathe. While he'd been unconscious the last time I had managed to patch myself up somewhat, and I had been trying to do something about the gaping hole in his side.

Cinder didn't look good. What I hadn't been able to see when he was in griffin form became very clear now. His skin was unnaturally pale, dark shadows had formed beneath his eyes, and his skin was clammy. Already a dark stain was starting to spread into the cloth of the borrowed Camp Half-Blood T-shirt he wore. My insides twisted and I started to wonder whether it was a good idea asking him to switch forms. I took a deep breath and knelt down beside him, pulling his arm over my shoulders. We couldn't stay here- I wasn't even a monster and I could smell his blood. Who knew what lovely creatures were making their way over to see what free meals they could make out of him. Once we were safe I could try to help him. He was a monster at least, so it would take a lot to actually kill him. Never in my life did I see myself thinking that.

I managed to pull him so he was upright, with most of his weight leaning against me. He mumbled something quietly, and I felt a bit of his weight moving from my shoulders as he tried to straighten his legs. I couldn't just fireman carry him out of here- mortal authorities would get crazy suspicious.

"You awake?" I asked, taking a step toward the alley entrance.

I took his grumble as an affirmative, and started off. We wouldn't be able to go far. We just needed somewhere different, somewhere more sheltered that didn't reek of blood. Or really just anywhere that didn't reek of blood.  
We hobbled out onto the street, and I glanced around quickly. I had seen a park while I was looking for this alley- somewhere along East River. Unfortunately that had been a while ago now and my memory of the path that I had taken had grown murky. So I did what any self-respecting Half-blood would do, and guessed. I decided going back South was our best bet, and nudged Cinder into staggering along with me.

At least the streets were quiet.

Cinder had been out for a long while, and the daytime traffic and completely passed. I guessed it must have been sometime after midnight, during the early hours of the morning. I didn't fancy explaining to casual passers by why I was helping a half-dead dude walk down a street. At best they'd think I was trying to help (albeit in the dumbest way possible), and at worst they'd think I was trying to dispose of a body.

We rounded a block for the third time, and lo and behold there lay the park. It had taken us maybe half an hour to get this far, a walk that would have taken less than five minutes at a normal pace. I had to stop regularly to let Cinder stop and steady himself. He was gradually taking longer and longer breaks, and I could feel the griffin leaning on me steadily more as we moved.

I guided him across the road, and we stepped through the park gates. His breathing was ragged and every breath seemed to shake him. I shifted again as he leaned on me, pulling his arm back over my shoulder.

"Just a little further," I murmured encouragingly, setting my eyes on the nearest bench.

A few pained steps later and Cinder was sitting down, his eyes shut as he tried to catch his breath, one hand clutching at the red patch on his orange t-shirt. It had spread considerably, the surface of the cloth glistening faintly in the streetlights.

I gave him a couple of minutes, sitting beside him and stretching my arms. I swung my bag off my shoulder, and started rummaging around inside. I had a couple of bandages with me, and a lump of ambrosia I'd managed to sneak off a few days ago. I pulled out the bandages, and turned back to Cinder.


	43. 42 -Cinder

**Your bedside manner leaves something to be desired. -Cinder**

Alyx did not have the steadiest hands. Unlike Apollo's kid, she wasn't the most experienced at cleaning wounds. Her movements were clumsy, and she really could have done with being more gentle. It took everything I had not to wake the whole neighbourhood with screaming. She pulled a canteen of water from her apparently bottomless backpack and tipped some of it over the bandages, and then tried to get some of the monster dust out.

Healing is a finicky thing, you see. While I have the ability to heal crazy fast- like many if not most monsters- a few conditions must be met for my body to be able to actually heal. First off, there can't be any magical stuff in there. So wounds made by celestial bronze wouldn't heal fast, if at all, 'cause it leaves all this gunk in there. Same thing goes with monster dust. It interferes. Secondly, the rest of my body needs to be in a pretty good state. Sleep and food is the best thing when you're wounded, trust me. Healing speeds can be pretty far diminished if I'm starving or haven't slept in like a week. And lastly, the damage can't be too great. An arrow to the face would almost instantly vaporise just about any monster because we still need our heads, y'know? But an arrow to, say, a calf? It would slow us down, sure, but it wouldn't result in instant death.

So as Alyx managed to remove bits and pieces of the scaly bastard who stuck me, I started to feel better. Bit by bit I was recovering, with less of the dust in the way, my body was able to heal. It wasn't perfect, of course- this wound would take a day or two to fully heal- but at least I wasn't losing quite as much blood. In fact, I might have even been gaining blood. Perks of being a monster.

By the time I felt good enough to push Alyx's hand away and sit up, there was a puddle made entirely of bloody water gathering beneath the bench and a small pile of bandage pieces stained red beside the demigod. I was starting to think clearly again now, my vision less blurred.

I looked down, putting a hand to the hole, and grimaced. The half-blood watched me warily, still holding a bundle of the cleaner bandages.

"That's enough," I said, gesturing for her to give them to me. "I can get the rest."

Alyx handed them over, and straightened up. Neither of us spoke as I wrapped the remaining bandages around my middle and she stepped to the side to wash some of my blood off her hands.

I pulled my T-shirt back down, ignoring the dark stain on its front, and stretched. She dropped the canteen into her bag, and sat on the opposite side of the bench. I hadn't noticed it before- I wasn't exactly in the best condition- but she looked exhausted. Just sitting still for a couple of moments seemed like it took all of her remaining energy.

"Thanks," I said eventually. "Those harpies would have dusted me if you hadn't fought them off."

She shrugged. "Second time your hide has been saved by demigods."

"My heroes."

A warm breeze drifted through the park, bringing with it the sounds of distant engines and the smell of pollution. Ah, humans. We sat in silence for a while longer, sitting there on the bench enjoying the fact that currently there weren't any monsters trying to bash our faces in.

Alyx broke the silence this time, her voice quiet. "Just make sure you help me destroy this army before it hurts anyone, okay?"

I dipped my head in affirmation. She seemed to forget that I was the one who'd originally asked for help murdering the darn things in the first place.

"You take first watch. Wake me if you see monsters or humans," she added, standing up and collapsing on the next bench along, shutting her eyes before I could raise a finger in protest.

Darn half-bloods and their selfish sleeping habits.

There was a loud caw beside me, and I leaped to my feet, woken almost immediately from sleep. Okay so maybe I wasn't the best at staying awake. I whipped around, ready to attack whatever it was that had so rudely disturbed me, only to find a crow sitting on the back of the bench. It was still dark- about an hour before dawn maybe- and it sat there watching me with its dark little eyes, head tilted slightly to one side.

It cawed again, ruffling its feathers and staring at me. Something about this particular crow was familiar- perhaps the sheen of its feathers, or the slight notch in its upper beak. I glanced toward Alyx- she still slept soundly, oblivious to the crow. The bird cawed a third time, and it shuffled impatiently.

" _What do you want?_ " I growled, switching to the language spoken by griffins, and one known by the majority of birds we come in contact with. Most of our avian 'friends' kept away from us. The feline half resulted in more than a couple birds scattered in our diet. Only birds well acquainted with griffins would get this close. Unless it was really stupid, that is.

" _You're a disgrace!_ " the bird cawed. " _They are displeased!_ " I stared at it, blinking.

The bird lunged forward, spreading its wings as I twisted out of the way. It flew up into the sky, and I watched as it disappeared into the darkness. My side ached from the sudden movement, so I sat back down. That was strange. Crows are usually rather polite, despite their permanently raised voices.

There was movement from the bench next to me, and Alyx sat up. She looked at me, frowning. "Were you-" she was interrupted by a yawn, "-talking to someone?"

I blinked a couple more times, before I shook my head. "Nope. Not a soul in sight."

She watched me for a moment longer, before shrugging and standing up. She picked up the backpack, slinging it onto her shoulder. "We should move. We're not all that far from the alley, and we have an army to find. You good to walk on your own?"

"Won't be able to fly until I find something to eat, but walking shouldn't be too difficult." We stood awkwardly, a couple feet from each other. It was weird being so close to a demigod and not being in a fight to the death. Seriously weird.

In the end we started toward Manhattan, crossing a river and entering the realm of skyscrapers. We walked in silence, with at least two meters between us at all times. I was behind, but at least I wasn't being held at sword point anymore. That was something, I guess.

We'd been walking for about half an hour when I decided I was bored enough.

"So," I said, catching up and walking beside the demigod.

She cast me a sideways glare, before returning her attention to the way ahead. She didn't answer, so I decided I would just continue.

"What did your prophecy say?"

Alyx glanced at me again, her gaze dropping to her feet this time. I frowned.

"Not good?"

She sighed, pulling the bag strap further on her shoulder. "I didn't get one," she said in a quiet voice.

I almost stopped in my tracks. "You what?"

"Didn't get a prophecy."

My frown deepened. "I thought you greek demigods needed a prophecy before you could go on a quest? Was that one of the other pantheons, or-?"

She gave me a strange look, like I was crazy. "Other pantheons?"

I waved a hand. "Ignore it- do you get prophecies?"

She hesitated. "… We always get prophecies before we leave on quests. I, uh, don't have one because I'm not on a quest."

"So how come you're here?"

She glared again, "I left camp while everyone was asleep."

Oh great. So it wasn't actually the whole camp who'd changed their minds (Honestly I thought that sounded a bit too good to be true), it was just one demigod who decided to run away from camp. Truly, my luck had run out.


	44. 43 -Alyx

**Do you ever shut up? -Alyx**

For the next hour he would not shut up. The sky was lightening, and commuters had started to take to the streets in droves, and Cinder was grumbling about demigods hating him even more now. I started tuning him out after the second time he asked me to explain why I thought what I was doing was a good idea. I kept quiet about the dreams I'd been having- which for now seemed to have stopped- and focused my attention on the way we were going.

So I'll straight up admit it here- I had no clue where to go. My plan only went as far as finding the bird, and I was seriously starting to regret even that part.

"-and now what are the others going to think? Not even two weeks after they all died I've not only made every monster in the world hate me, I've also got the demigods to contend with. Do you know how-"

I sighed, moving to the side of the pavement and pulling my bag from my shoulder. It took Cinder a few moments to notice I'd stopped.

He shuffled over, glaring. "Do you even know where you're going?" he asked, leaning against the tree opposite me.

I ignored him, looking around in my bag and finding a couple of coins and a crumpled note from the previous day. Could be enough to get us something to eat.

The bird rolled his eyes, taking a step toward me. "I'm going to take your silence as a no, and therefore I suggest we go where I was planning to go."

A coin slipped from my hand as I looked up. "So you weren't just wandering aimlessly?"

He looked offended, straightening his back as I retrieved the runaway dime. "Me? Wander aimlessly?"

"Let's just get some food, then we can figure out where we'll go next."

"I'm not seeing many prime hunting spots around here, girl. Sure you might be able to find something, but I doubt you humans will have anything-"

I started walking before he could finish. Standing around bickering would not get us any closer to finding these monsters, and I for one was starting to wish I hadn't left camp. I mean seriously, what was I thinking? Cinder grumbled to himself for a moment longer, before I heard the sound of his hurried footsteps as he jogged to catch up. He fell into stride beside me, this time staying quiet.

Given that I was at Camp for most if not all of the year, I had gone into New York surprisingly little. There was the occasional outing, where some of us year-rounders would be bundled into one of the camp vans and we would venture out into the city for one reason or another. A couple of times we'd visited Central Park, the zoo and some of the shops around it, and of course we'd been to see the Empire States Building more than once. But other than that, the city I spent most of my time close to was a mystery to me.

Luckily, the few times we had visited this area, I'd gotten to work memorising every turn or shop we came across. We turned a corner and before us was a small convenience store, tucked away beside a pharmacy and flower shop.

I stopped outside, and caught Cinder's sleeve before he walked too far.

The griffin turned, frowning at the sight of the cramped shop, his yellow eyes scanning the depressing array of goods displayed in the window.

"Mhm. Looks delicious."

I returned with a ham and cheese sandwich, and a tinned can of what I assumed was beef. They didn't have anything else that seemed suitable for a griffin. Except some cat food, but I got the feeling he wouldn't take too kindly to that.

Cinder was unimpressed, taking the can like I'd handed him a decapitated head. "… What is this?"

I pulled the tab on my sandwich packaging, and started to make my way toward Central Park. "The last of my money," I answered. "It was the best they had."

"It's encased in metal."

My mouth was full, so I just nodded.

"It doesn't even smell edible."

"Eat it or go hungry, it won't kill you."

He looked at me incredulously, then back at the can. He pulled the ring tab on the top, and stared at its contents. "How do you humans eat this stuff?"

We paused as we waited for an opening in the flurry of passing cars, and I shrugged. "I mean we cook it, for one. And we eat our vegetables."

"I'm a griffin," he said, as we hurried across the road. "We're carnivorous. Mostly."

I had guessed as much. For the most part, monsters all seemed to be purely carnivorous. If they ate at all, that is. "Mostly?" I took another bite of my sandwich, steering us east. Up ahead I could see the telltale mass of leaves and foliage that marked the beginning of the park. It seemed so out of place in the city- the greens gave a stark contrast to the grey and silver concrete and metal that made up most of the buildings.

"Sometimes you get griffins who are… I guess you'd say part songbird? They're mostly omnivorous. They… don't normally last long."

I decided not to pursue further- something about the way he said it made it clear it was a touchy subject.


	45. 44 -Cinder

**0/10 would not recommend. -Cinder**

It tasted horrible. And believe me, I know what I'm talking about when I say horrible. There'd been a couple of times where me and a couple of other griffins from my flock went scavenging for food instead of hunting it ourselves- during particularly harsh winters and whatnot scavenging often turned up better results- and some of those carcasses… well, they weren't the freshest.

This metal encased food the demigod presented tasted worse than the two-week-old reindeer I had a couple of years ago. In fact, it hardly tasted like food at all. I had to read the label to actually figure out what animal it used to be.

"What did this poor cow ever do to you humans to deserve being turned into this?" I looked over to the demigod, who sat beneath a tree. We'd found a small area within a park that was at least out of sight from the mortals. Even with the mist, it was best to keep things away from them. Who knows what they'll interpret everything as.

Alyx looked up, her expression shifting to disgust at the sight of the canned food on the ground. I had shifted form to eat- human mouths were… strange. "Stop complaining- somebody's gonna see if you don't hurry up."

I still felt weak. Shifting had taken a lot of the limited energy I possessed right now, and I was fairly sure I was still missing a couple of pints of blood. "The mist exists, y'know? The mortals aren't gonna see anything out of the ordinary."

She glared as I finished the last of my 'food' (I'm unsure if it could actually have been classified as food. It certainly didn't deserve that title). "So where were you planning on going next?" she said eventually, changing the subject.

I straightened, stretching my wings. "There's this place a couple of hours west of here," I said as she stood up. She didn't take her eyes off me, and I could see some of the cogs whirling in her mind. I was still a monster, and she wasn't yet entirely convinced I meant well. I would be lying if I said I was surprised. "You, uh, probably won't like it, but it's the best place I can think of."

The demigod narrowed her eyes, leaning back against the tree trunk. "What is it?"

"It's a meeting place for monsters."

She didn't say anything for a minute or so, and we stood in complete silence. "You're not serious," she said eventually, her eyes widening ever so slightly.

"Serious as I'll ever be."

The girl blinked a couple of times, and then shook her head. "No way. A meeting place for monsters."

A soft breeze ruffled my feathers as I nodded. Behind the wall of foliage to our right, a human jogged past. "Mhm. It's nice, cosy little place off the beaten track where monsters meet. You'd be surprised how many-"

She raised a hand, still shaking her head. "No way in hell. We literally just escaped from monsters with our lives- and you want to go somewhere there'll be a ton of them?"

I shrugged, glancing toward the sky. It was mid morning- if we set off soon we could make it before nightfall. "It's perfectly safe. They've got a no violence policy and everything."

She didn't look convinced.

"Look, if you have any better ideas, I'm all ears. You demigods were my best option, remember. I was hoping you'd be able to consult your almighty Delphi to guide us somewhere useful. Going somewhere is better than sticking around here, believe me."

"I shouldn't have left camp," she muttered, "This was a dumb idea." The girl glanced nervously in the direction of the path as another human passed. I hadn't smelled or heard any monsters for a while, which was odd. Being in a human city, there were normally at least some monsters in the distance.

My tail flicked in annoyance, and I sighed. "Go back for all I care." My voice was a growl, and my patience was beginning to wear a little thin. "This was never going to be a walk in the park- a quick trip to destroy an army after which you'll be back home in time for dinner, demigod." Her attention was back on me. I took a step forward, my feathers fluffing a little. "Let all illusions be dispelled; There's a chance neither of us will return from this. It's a pretty big chance. I did not force you to follow me- in fact I'm not entirely sure why you did- and I will not force you to continue." I hadn't noticed the hand that was now resting on the hilt of her sword, or the faint scent of monsters that now hung on the breeze. "So please just make up your damned mind- I can't be picky about where I go, and if you're with me, neither can you. No matter how danger-"

Another set of footfalls pounded down the trail beside us. They were heavy and thunderous, much unlike the footsteps of humans- which were dainty in comparison.

Alyx drew her sword, and I leaped back reflexively, my ears flattened against my head. I could smell it now- a slightly metallic scent, tinged with sweat and a hint of sulphur. The demigod locked eyes with me, and nodded her head toward the bushes between us and the path. _Monsters._


	46. 45 -Alyx

**Fighting for our lives. Again. It gets old quickly, trust me. -Alyx**

It was quiet for a second, with nothing but the sound of leaves rustling above and the distant roar of city life.

It got loud very quickly. There was a crash, and the bushes in front of us exploded in a cloud of dirt and branches. Cinder snarled, his feathers fluffing up. I raised my sword, squinting at the mess. A shadow appeared, a giant standing taller than Cinder, looming out from the dust and moving fast. I leaped to the side as a Laistrygonian Giant barrelled into the tree I had be leaning on. The maple groaned, its trunk splitting near the base. I was still staring when the giant straightened up, his crash apparently not affecting him at all. Cinder flew forward from beside me, a black blur that hit the recovering giant with force.

They rumbled backwards, the giant hitting the ground again with a loud thump. Behind me I heard the sound of another set of heavy feet, and whipped around just in time to get swept off my feet as a massive hand slammed into me. I rolled a couple of times, the ground turning around me, before I regained my bearings and struggled to my feet. It was a miracle I had managed to keep hold of my sword. The second giant had turned its attention away from me, toward Cinder. He stood in a pile of dust, his eyes narrowed and teeth bared. Another pair of giants had emerged from the surrounding area. One held a club made from what looked like solid iron, and the other was flexing his fingers menacingly.

"Cinder!" I yelled. The griffin glanced toward me, before he lunged at the giant. I dashed forward, slashing my sword toward the giant's legs.

This time we weren't so lucky; the giant swatted at Cinder as he charged forward, catching his claws with a leather arm guard that was reduced to shreds, and my sword just barely managed to graze the skin beneath the armour he wore. I ducked beneath a second hand, bringing up Skotono. This time I aimed for the back of the knees- where the leather parted to allow for movement. Cinder took a step back as the giant cried in pain, falling to one knee. The other two advanced, ready to strike.

"We can't fight three at once," Cinder called. He was backing away toward the damaged tree, his wings splayed. He was right- we were lucky we'd managed to get down the first. We were both still tired, and I doubted Cinder was back at full strength. Sure he seemed to heal fast, but not that fast.

I jumped backwards as the giant slammed his fist down where I had been standing, struggling to get back on his feet. He winced as he tried to put weight on the leg I had attacked. His two friends had started to move toward Cinder, grinning.

"Little bird!" One said with glee, clapping with his club.

A thought struck me. It was not one that I liked. In fact, I might even go as far as to say I hated it. "Can you fly?" I said, running back toward the griffin.

He looked at me, his head tilted slightly to the right, and then he looked back toward the giants. "Maybe," he answered, quieter now that I was getting close. A part of my was afraid he'd say that. That meant there was a chance my plan could work. He seemed to understand what I was thinking, and he started to move toward me. There was a giant between us, so he moved to the side faster than it could swing its club, and continued straight for me. "Hold tight," the bird growled.

It was a miracle I was actually able to hold on at all. As he charged toward me I sheathed my sword, all too aware of the giants readjusting and moving towards us. The bird slowed only a little as he got close, and I jumped toward him, my arms outstretched. I caught handfuls of feathers, and I swung awkwardly onto his back, leaning over his shoulder blades.

He stumbled a little with the weight, his left foreleg almost failing him, before he stretched out his wings and jumped.

The area we had chosen didn't have a very thick canopy, thank the gods. We pushed past a couple of branches before bursting out into open sky. Cinder flapped his wings furiously, desperately trying to climb higher. Beneath us I could hear the giants frustrated yells, and the thunderous sound of their feet as they jumped to catch the griffin's tail.

I tried to right myself where I sat, managing to position my legs either side of his neck, hooked around the base of his wings as though he were a pegasus. I held onto his feathery mane for dear life, practically hugging him as he started to level out. I dared not look beneath us.

We swayed a bit in the air, Cinder stretching out his wings and starting to glide now, weaving between some of the skyscrapers. We were above the streets of Manhattan now, moving through the air smoothly.

"I can take you back to your camp," Cinder said eventually, turning in a wide arc so we faced Long Island.

I held on a little tighter, staring at the back of his head. He had been right- this wasn't going to be easy. It never was. I knew it wasn't going to be easy, I just hadn't thought we'd be doing something quite so reckless this early on. I shifted uncomfortably- the similarities between a griffin and a pegasus just about stopped after the wings. "I can't turn back," I said eventually. "A quest won't be sent out until they have more solid proof- word from a griffin and dreams from a half-blood probably aren't good enough."

He was quiet for a minute, as he turned again in a circle, moving higher into the air. "Dreams?"

I could feel my face going red- I'd forgotten I hadn't mentioned the dreams, and silently cursed myself. "One of the campers had dreams about an army similar to the one you described," I lied.

Cinder didn't seem to notice. "So you don't want to go back? You're going to put up with the dumb idea?" He had already turned back toward the west, the sun warming our backs.

"If it protects the camp, I'll put up with all the dumb ideas you can throw at me," I grumbled.

He nodded to himself. "If you remove a single one of my feathers, you're dead."

* * *

 **And with that we're up to date ;-;**

 **Updates from now on will not be nearly as regular as they have been previously, as I do not write one chapter each day when I'm not doing NaNoWriMo or another similar writing challenge. Updates will probably be about once every two weeks? Maybe a bit more often depending on how busy I am with college and work in any particular week.**


	47. 46 -Cinder

**Are we there yet? -Cinder**

Flying was hard. I tried to glide as much as possible, moving my wings only when necessary, but still I knew I wouldn't be able to go too far. I was still healing, and my wound only had a layer of clotted blood over it. Granted, it was a thick layer of scab, but it wouldn't do much if I kept going at this rate. Couple that with the fact that I was travelling with a passenger, and it all added up to a short flight. Alyx held on tighter than was necessarily comfortable, her arms wrapped tightly around my neck, almost to the point of strangulation. Her legs squeezed my side, her boots digging into my ribs. I was starting to feel sorry for Pegasi as we flew over the last of the skyscrapers, heading into the suburban areas of New York.

I gave her a pass just this once. The girl was terrified- I could smell as much- and I wasn't in the mood for arguing.

"I'm sorry I don't have a prophecy."

Her voice surprised me so much we dipped a little in the sky. She yelped, her arms tightening, her hands grabbing at my feathers. "It's no big deal" I croaked, struggling to form the words with my airways being constricted by the demigod. I stretched my neck, managing to loosen her hold just enough for me to be able to breathe again.

"If I'd gone to see Rachel she would have told Chiron before I could leave," she said quietly. We passed over a small collection of trees, perhaps five wing-spans beneath us. I flapped my wings a couple of times, gaining a few more meters of altitude. The way I flew- normally riding air currents way up in the sky- didn't particularly work that well down here, but I was too tired to put in the effort of getting that high. I would probably start bleeding too much before I even got near, and that would only end in a long fall and most likely death.

"No bit deal," I said again, watching a red car dart past beneath us. Human vehicles were strange. "Just means we're slightly less sure about where we're going."

She was eerily silent.

"Okay, maybe almost completely unsure, but we've got something, at least." I said hurriedly, stretching out my wings again. I couldn't quite extend my left wing as far as usual, so we flew in a very slight curve. It was annoying having to correct our course every few minutes as we drifted off to one side.

"I-" she started, and I glanced back at her. She looked like she wanted to say something, and she fumbled around her words a little. "I'm sorry." She settled on the words clumsily, her grip tightening in my feathers.

This time I knew she wasn't just talking about the lack of prophecy. Her tone was quiet- hushed, even. Like the voices of guests at a funeral. Yes, I knew exactly what she meant, and I was grateful.

We fell into silence, and the neighbourhoods beneath us started to get further apart.

The last of the buildings gave way to countryside, and I started to recognise some of the natural landmarks. The last time I'd been to this particular meeting place was a few decades ago, and human civilisation had… expanded the city since then. I had been following my innate sense of direction up to this point, relying on my own recollection of the route.

Over the course of the last half hour, we'd started to lose altitude. I could feel Alyx's grip on my feathers, but the sensation felt more distant. Numbed. She still shuddered from fear, otherwise keeping completely still on my back. The demigod didn't dare move a muscle, not even to look at where we were going. She mostly looked up, (I imagine she was trying to distract herself with cloud-gazing. I wondered how that was going for her) but I suppose that was good for me- she hadn't yet noticed that we were now just barely avoiding the tops of trees, and more than once I had to swerve a little to avoid a particularly tall branch.

I was really quite amazed I had lasted this long already- the sun was getting lower in the sky, the marks of mid afternoon. I had lasted hours longer than I had anticipated.

I could feel the pans of hunger again, though. The mystery meat Alyx had found in the shop had given me something, at least. Some spark of energy that was enough to get me this far, to fool my body into thinking things were normal. After all, we griffins usually hunt before we find a meal. Food normally meant all was good. However, the canned… stuff was about as filling as it was tasty I.e. not very.

As such, I had started to scour the fields and occasional woodlands, searching for something worthy of a meal. Or even just a place to nap for a while. Don't look at me like that- I'm basically half cat, okay? We sleep a lot. My estimate of arriving at the bar before nightfall had been of the under variety.


	48. 47 -Alyx

**Lost in the woods -Alyx**

It was late afternoon when we touched down again. I could feel Cinder weakening, I could feel his wings moving less and less as he struggled to keep us aloft.

He landed heavily in a clearing, and for a moment I was worried he would collapse. He stumbled, almost throwing me with the sudden movement, but regained his balance at the last second, letting out a heavy breath. I slid from his back quickly, stepping down onto the mossy grass. To say I was glad to be back on the ground would be a gross understatement. I could have jumped for joy if Cinder hadn't been in such a rough shape.

"You okay?" I said after the euphoria of having both feet on solid ground had passed.

He cast me a sideways glare, stretching his wings either side of him before folding them back against his back. "Delightful," he growled. He watched the trees warily, yellow eyes fixed on something in the shadow of the trunks.  
My excitement dwindled, my hand resting lightly on the hilt of Skotono. "Is there something there?" I asked, my voice a whisper. Despite his obvious exhaustion the griffin had assumed a ready position- one foot raised slightly, talons just brushing the ground, hackles raised.

He didn't answer, spreading his wings and lunging forward before I had time to think, disappearing back into the shadows of the trees. He moved fast- much faster than I thought he was able to. I drew my sword instinctively, the celestial bronze glinting in the sunlight. Fear started to rise in my gut again, tugging on my insides like a fishing hook.

"Cinder?" I called, the unsteadiness in my voice catching me off-guard. It would have been so easy for him to just leave me- unlike griffins, humans, funnily enough, can't fly. I started to jog in the direction he had gone, following the trail of twigs and fallen leaves he had left behind. I couldn't just stand by and wait- I had no desire to get lost in a forest somewhere north-west of New York, barely two days into a quest.

The woods were darker than I had expected. The canopy was thick, branches layering one over the other, leaves filling every possible hole in the foliage. Green light filtered through them, but it was dim. A few branches were head-height, and I had to stop every few steps so that I didn't get hit in the face. Up ahead I couldn't hear anything- no breaking branches, no growls or snarls, not even the sound of wind.

My thoughts kept drifting toward the events of a few days ago- being chased through the forest by a griffin. My insides twisted as I thought about the experience. Something was going on with the bird, that was for sure. It seemed to confuse him just as much as it confused the rest of us, which was never a good sign. Once again, I wondered whether leaving camp to follow had been a bad idea. Well, a worse idea than I had thought it would be.  
I slowed my pace, making a conscious effort to quiet my footsteps as I continued. If he had lost control again or something, I would rather not draw more attention to myself.

It can't have been more than five, ten minutes later that I heard something. I had dropped down a small ditch, the dirt beneath me damp, and was making my way up the other side when I froze. I heard a crack from up ahead, accompanied by a quieter snap. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, and I suppressed a shudder. I recognised it from some of the battles I had fought in- it was unmistakable. The sound of bones cracking wasn't something you really got used to.

I readjusted my grip on Skotono, and started to move forward. I kept to the trees, clinging to their trunks for what little shelter they gave me. A breeze fluttered through the branches up ahead, and I almost gagged as the scent of blood washed over me, thick and strong. For a second, all I could see were images from the fight earlier this year- broken bodies littering the streets of Manhattan, demigods I had known and laughed with breathing for the last time.

I shut my eyes, banishing the scene from my mind, and took a deep breath. Picking my way forward, and I finally found what I was looking for.

I saw the deer first, its head lying limp on the ground, eyes glassy and lifeless as they stared upwards. I quickly looked away, fixing my gaze ahead as Cinder came into view.

His back was to me, black wings folded against his back, tail curled around his back paws. He was hunched over the creature, neck down.

All of a sudden he tensed, and for a moment my mind went blank. He raised his head, looking off to his right. The griffin's beak was stained in red, the blood glistening against the matte black. His ears pointed forwards, feathery tips twitching as he listened to something I hoped wasn't me.

I regained myself, moving quickly back behind a tree and pressing my back against the bark.

"You don't need to hide."

His voice almost made me jump out of my skin, and I pressed myself further into the tree's trunk.

The griffin sighed, and I heard him moving. He didn't bother with being quiet, snapping twigs as he strode toward me. His face appeared from around the tree, feathers flecked with red, a look of mild annoyance in his eyes. He glanced down at the sword I was brandishing, and tilted his head curiously.

I didn't say a word.

"I thought we'd moved beyond pointing sharp things in my face?" he asked, confusion starting to push out the annoyed look.


	49. 48 -Cinder

**Roadtrip! -Cinder**

I was hungry, okay? Hungry and tired. I couldn't be blamed for my actions. Okay maybe I could be blamed, but I had good reasons. Believe me when I say you do not want a hungry griffin.

Quite honestly, I didn't know why the demigod was so shaken. Her knuckles were white, fingers curled around the leather-wrapped hilt of that cursed blade tightly. If it were alive, she would have strangled it she was holding on so tight. I could smell the faint traces of fear radiating from her, mixing with the usual scent of demigod, and at first I couldn't figure out why.

I pulled my wings back, holding them either side of me, ready to leap into the air at a moment's notice, and she just watched me. She didn't say anything- she didn't answer my question or make a mean comment. She just stayed silent, holding the sword and watching me.

We stood there for a few minutes longer, before I let out a sigh and turned away, back to the deer. "We can rest here for a few hours," I said over my shoulder, glancing back to make sure she wasn't about to stab me in the back. "I need to eat and sleep, then we can continue-"

Alyx stepped out from behind the tree, her eyes fixed on me. Her breathing was shallow- in and out, over and over. She glanced at the dead deer, and I could see the shiver as it ran down her spine, and it started to make sense.

Of course- humans don't hunt for their food. Well, not the majority of them, at least. The presence of death wasn't a regular occurrence for them. Or if it was, it was accompanied with horrors.

I raised my beak, savouring the heavy scent of blood that hung around the clearing. To me it meant a hunt- food. But to her?

A memory flickered to the front of my mind- my first day at their camp. She mentioned there had been a battle recently. A war.

I spread my wings, feathers obscuring the corpse from her view. "There aren't any monsters nearby," I said quietly, taking the last few steps toward my kill. "If I unnerve you, you're free to stay elsewhere while I eat."

She didn't move for a few minutes longer, and a few clouds passed overhead. The sunlight dimmed momentarily, and I heard the sound of a blade being slid back into its scabbard. I could feel myself relaxing, much to my dismay, as the demigod moved away. I hadn't heard her approach before, and the thought of her silently moving closer put me on edge. She wasn't as clumsy as I had thought.

When I had eaten my fill, I found a shaded spot and settled down. The forest was quiet, distant birds chattering to one another and small mammals scurrying across treetops. I hadn't seen Alyx in a while, but at that moment I didn't really care. I was tired, and fell asleep almost immediately.

Unlike my previous nap, my sleep was peppered with dreams. For the most part they were flashes- images spread over seconds that faded into others. I saw my home- the snowy peaks of Canada rising into clouds, frosted trees covering their slopes. The image melted, the snow turning red, and I saw fire. Sparks flew into the air as a hammer slammed down into a blade, the red-hot metal glowing unnaturally bright. I flinched at the sound, backing away as that image darkened and dimmed to black, and the next one grew closer.

A set of headlights- two pinpricks- grew larger in the darkness, orange beams illuminating hedgerows either side of the road. A car hurtled toward me. I blinked, and the road disappeared, the tarmac beneath my feet turning to rubber, the open air either side of me becoming walls, capped off by a low roof over my head. For a second I panicked, the confines of the area bringing up memories of metal cages, pressing down on my wings and pushing me into the ground.

And then I was calm- bored, even, and returned to staring out of the window as the countryside flew past, bushes blurring into the next as fields drifted across the landscape. I knew we'd been travelling for a few hours now- I'd been stuck in the car for ages, and I really needed to pee. My legs ached from being in the same position for too long, and my game boy had run out of power ages ago. I hadn't even been able to save.

I quickly grew tired of the view- the darkness obscured everything interesting anyway- and refocused my attention on the car. It was the same as it had ever been. It needed a clean, for one. A few empty crisp packets littered the two seats next to me, and something had spilt on the floor earlier. I hadn't been able to figure out what exactly yet. A man sat in front of me, eyes fixed on the road ahead, his face dimly illuminated by the glowing dashboard.

"Can we stop yet?" I asked eventually, my voice high-pitched and quiet. Some part of me was surprised, but I ignored it.

The man hesitated for a moment, turning his face toward me. I felt like I should have recognised him, but he was a stranger to me. "Not yet, sweetheart. It's a few more miles to the next town, we can stop there."

For whatever reason, this answer satisfied me, and I returned to staring out of the window, humming "The wheels on the bus" to myself.

As I got to the part about children chattering on the bus, I saw something in the distant fields. At first it was nothing more than a shadow- perhaps that of a tree in the moonlight. Slowly it began to grow bigger, moving away from the hedges and into the open, nothing more than a darker area amongst the night. I stopped humming, squinting through the glass to try and make out what the thing could be. I pressed a small hand to the window as the dark shape grew larger, passing over the hedge on the other side of the nearest field. The man hadn't noticed it, all of his attention focused on the road ahead.

I frowned as the shadowy thing got closer, finally able to make out its shape- a neck, tail, legs. It wasn't slowing, rapidly moving closer and closer to our car. For a minute it ran beside in the fields, clearing hedges in bounds as it inched closer. It was a lot bigger than the animals I knew of- at least as big as a bear, but its tail was too long, its fur too short. Its muzzle looked more like a dog's than a bear.

"What's that?" I asked eventually, the presence of the thing starting to unnerve me. It was running alongside the road now, just a few meters from the car, easily matching the speed we were going. I could see its teeth, saliva glistening in the moonlight. It seemed to blend into the shadows around it, its fur blending perfectly into the darkness beneath passing trees.

The man glanced at me through the rear view mirror, frowning. "What's what?"

The thing in the darkness lunged toward the car, and it shuddered. There was a moment's pause as the metal box was lifted from the road, soaring sideways through the air. It crashed as it collided with the bushes on the other side of the road, the metal groaning under the strain. My head hit the door, and everything went black.

A figure stood a few meters away, leaning against a tree as it watched me. I raised my head groggily, trying to ignore the echoes of a headache, and the pain in my limbs. My dream was fresh in my mind, the terror as the car flew through the air working its way through me. I stumbled to my feet, unused to my own body for a second. Four legs. Not two. Griffin. Definitely griffin.

Alyx straightened. She was watching me, waiting. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness- actually able to see this time- I glanced around. Nothing about my surroundings had changed, the forest exactly as I remembered leaving it. Good.

"Pleasant dreams?" The demigod asked, stretching her arms. I wondered how long she'd been standing there.  
For a second I debated telling her about my dream. Or nightmare, I suppose I should call it. I don't normally get nightmares. It was an odd feeling. "Positively delightful," I answered, suppressing a yawn.


	50. 49 -Alyx

**Let sleeping griffins lie. -Alyx**

I gave the bird a couple of hours, exploring the woodlands for a while as I waited. There wasn't much- a few ditches filled with a foot or so of muddy water, a couple fallen trees, standard things. It was quiet. When I tired of exploring, I caught some sleep myself. It wasn't long, just to keep myself going. I made sure I kept upwind of Cinder.

The sun set, obscured by the leaves of the trees long before it finally sank beneath the horizon. The sky glowed orange between the branches above, before it settled into the blue hues of night. I figured the griffin had slept long enough, and set about finding him again.

I hadn't gone far, and it didn't take long for me to find the remains of the deer. It had been stripped to the bone, with nothing but scraps of fur and blood around it. The sight was chilling, but I had to make a conscious effort not to look. I could almost feel its empty sockets watching me as I moved out of sight again, boring into my back. Note to self- don't stand between Cinder and food. Ending up like that deer is not something I picture myself doing.

I continued forwards for a few minutes longer, following the broken branches and crushed undergrowth until I found the hollow Cinder lay in. The griffin was fast asleep, still deep in whatever dreams he had. If he had any. Do monsters dream?

He didn't stir as I neared, his paws twitching slightly with movement, his wings pressed flat against his back.  
Waking him didn't seem like the right thing to do. After all, he'd flown for hours earlier today, with me on his back no less. Wounded as well, might I add. Sighing, I settled down with my back against a tree opposite. I sank to the ground, watching Cinder in the dying light. He was so much quieter asleep.

It was another hour before the griffin finally woke, yellow eyes bright and awake. He stumbled a little as he stood, and looked at me without recognition for a moment or two, before his expression settled. I straightened, taking a step forward.

"Pleasant dreams?" I asked, watching as he stretched. There would be flying any moment now. I hated flying.

He gave the griffin equivalent of a shrug- lifting his wings slightly before he let them drop back into resting position- "Positively delightful."

Something about him seemed off. "How long 'till we get there?" I said, waiting for him to start moving. I doubted he would take off here. At least, I really hoped he wouldn't. There were lots of branches above us.

He pricked his ears, glancing up toward the sky. "An hour, maybe two," he said eventually, trudging out of the hollow and starting to walk. I followed behind, keeping a safe distance away.

Cinder was considerably better at navigating the forest floor than I. He strode through the undergrowth, picking areas with sparser coverage automatically, and moving without pause. I stumbled along behind, brambles snagging my clothes, batting down stinging nettles with Skotono. Not what I pictured I would be using a sword for, but at least it was effective.

He paused every few minutes, when the gap between us got too great, and turned to wait impatiently as I struggled to untangle my feet from bracken, or clambered over a fallen tree he had cleared without a second's thought. By the time we reached a clearing, I was scowling. The forest at camp was… tamer than this. Sure, it had more dangerous monsters roaming it, but that meant there were generally more paths, more tracks worn down by creatures with numerous pairs of feet. This forest, however, was devoid of such dangers. We followed no worn path, not even a track left by deer.

"You're really bad at this."

It was the first thing he'd said in about fifteen minutes, as I stumbled into the grass, muttering curses to myself. He watched me with amusement, tail flicking impatiently. I shot him my best glare. "I was doing just fine without following you."

He shrugged again, spreading his wings out either side of him, the tips of his feathers brushing the tree trunks on either side. "Let's go."

I begrudgingly closed the distance between us, taking a deep breath before I hauled myself onto his back, swinging one leg around his neck and hooking my legs around the base of his wings like you would a pegasus. The bird waited until I had settled, pausing as I grabbed handfuls of his feathers, before he took off.

This time take-off was much smoother. Unlike earlier that day, we weren't being chased, and therefore were not in hurry. He lifted us into the air slowly but steadily, rising above the tops of the trees. Immediately I could tell he was feeling better- he didn't weaken every time he lifted his wings, and didn't hesitate before he flew forwards.

We moved faster this time, climbing higher into the sky than we had been previously. The trees became miniature beneath us, the fields checkering the landscape like a patchwork blanket. I had to look up at the sky as we got higher, the height dizzying.


	51. 50 -Cinder

**Good ol' Treeface. -Cinder**

We were going to die. No doubts. No questions. This was the third time I had thought this today alone, and quite frankly I was sick of it.

I touched down a few hundred yards away from the bar, letting Alyx dismount and regain her composure. She did not enjoy descending quickly, which made it all the more entertaining to do so. Our plan would never work. No way in Tartarus. Even I saw that, and I wasn't child of the wisdom goddess.

The bar was in East Pennsylvania, I think you humans call it. A quiet road tucked away in the middle of nowhere, away from mortal eyes and isolated enough to avoid the notice of demigods. Not that it really mattered. The place always swarmed with monsters- creatures from hundreds of miles away would come along to visit the darn place, enjoy a few drinks if they felt so inclined, share the latest news on wars and gods. The usual. I hadn't been there too much- just a couple of times over the last century or so, since it was founded. That was partly because other monsters find me dislikable, but mostly because I didn't feel the need to fly down from Canada very often. Wars only concerned me when they threatened my home.

If I went alone, the bar would cause no troubles whatsoever. I could walk right in there, enjoy the company and occasional verbal abuse of other monsters for a few hours, and then walk right out again with the information I needed. Probably. When visiting the bar, monsters were equal. There were no feuds, no fights, nothing but good old insults, as long as they didn't get too out of hand. The bartender made sure of that.  
But of course the option of going alone had been removed. I glanced back at Alyx, who had her back turned as she leaned against a tree for support. We had gone faster this time, and the poor girl seemed to struggle with the height. She insisted on coming inside, despite my insistence that it would only get her killed.

I sighed, and shifted into my human shape. "Come along then," I grumbled, starting the walk to the bar.

Her footsteps were loud as she jogged to catch up.

On the outside it looked like any mortal establishment. There was a squat main building- two stories high; windows coated in a layer of dirt from passing cars, paint peeling from their frames; dim lights illuminating the front porch, which had a few chairs scattered around two tables. The bar's name was Tim's Ugly Mug Bar & Grill, although the lopsided neon sign that hung from the roof seemed to disagree. Toward the back of the building, beside a rather pathetic car park filled with an assortment of chariots, stood a large barn connected to the main building by one wall.

As we got closer, the sounds of monsters making merry started to get louder. There was shouting- some english, some ancient greek, and some in languages I didn't know- and laughter, as well as the odd roar, growl or squeak. Most of the noise came from the barn out back, but a fair amount did come from behind the red door to the place itself.

"Last change to turn back," I whispered behind me. I really hoped she would listen.

"Already gone," she whispered back, pointing toward the car park.

A monster had just rounded the corner of the building- a humanoid apparently formed entirely of wood. The thing paused when it saw us, its wizened face creaking as it frowned, before it started to move closer.

Alyx moved to draw her sword, and she cursed quietly as she found her belt empty of its sheath. I'd thought our chances of survival would greatly improve if the girl didn't bring celestial bronze into the place.

The tree man regarded us carefully, his dark eyes fixed on me. "It's you," he said eventually. His voice was a low rumble, filled to the brim with distaste.

I tried for a smile, holding my arm in front of Alyx to keep her quiet. "It's me." The Spriggan's face looked familiar- the way the moss clung damply to his head, the stoop of his back, the half-grown right arm.

My frown must have been noticeable, because he spoke again, somehow managing to sound even more annoyed. "Last time you showed up 'ere, you did this." He held up the aforementioned arm, a few green leaves sprouting from its end.

"Ah." I knew I'd seen him before. "Well I know how forgiving you are, but I feel I must apologise-"

"Had Tim not tigh'ened the rules around here I'd've run you through by now," the tree grumbled, interrupting my carefully crafted apology. I could feel Alyx glaring at me without having to turn around. He looked at me, eyes cold.

I was ready to fight- to change form in a split second and finish what I apparently started the last time I was here. I tensed, waiting for the Spriggan to make his move.

His eyes fell on Alyx, and the crease in his brow deepened. The tree-man straightened, towering over the two of us, and regarded Alyx warily.

"I've not seen that 'un before," he mused, taking a moment's pause. "She smells of demigod, that 'un does." His dark eyes turned back to me, a wicked grin spreading across his face. "'Ave you brought us a peace offerin'?"

I could feel Alyx freeze behind me, the sharp inhalation as the Spriggan said demigod. We'd been rumbled. Busted. Caught red-handed. I had hoped we'd at least get inside before we came across any monsters, that way I would have only had to explain our lie once.

I put my best offended look on my face, narrowing my eyes and glaring at the Spriggan. I stepped fully in front of Alyx, and crossed my arms. "That's my sister you're speaking to, tree face," I growled. He took a step backward, his smile fading. So far so good. "Why would I bring a demigod here, of all places? Share one with you lot?" I gave a short laugh, taking a step forward to hopefully increase the distance between Alyx and the Spriggan. The less he looked at her the better- the lie wasn't a very good one, and as long as attention wasn't focused on her we were safe. Ish.

"There're more o' you shape-changers?" His tone was tinged with distaste, his lip curling into a snarl.

I bared my teeth in a snarl of my own. "Of course there are more like me," I said. Okay that wasn't exactly true. As far as I could tell, I was the only griffin who could turn human. But that's a story for another time. "Starting with my sister here." I glanced back at Alyx, giving her a pointed look. She looked ready to start arguing, but held her tongue in the interest of our survival. "She's out here practising on two legs," I added. "First time out of the nest and all."

The Spriggan narrowed his eyes, looking between the two of us. "She smells of demigod," he said again, flexing his good arm. A few twigs sprouted from the end, elongating his fingers. I hadn't quite convinced him yet.

I shrugged, "Yeah? Well so do I, our clothes came from demigods." I mean it was true- Alyx's clothes most certainly came from a demigod, and mine were the set I'd been given at Camp Half-Blood. "We stopped off an hour or so ago," I continued, doing my best to sound bored, "found a few on a quest." I smiled, pointing to the orange T-shirt I wore. For the first time, I was glad it was covered in my own blood. Made it seem more authentic.

He sniffed, watching me carefully for a few moments. He glared at me, and I glared at him. Eventually he backed off, muttering a curse under his breath. "I'm watchin' you," he grumbled, starting to make his way to the door. He pointed two fingers at his eyes, and then to me before he turned around and continued on his merry way.

The door swung shut behind him, and I let out a heavy sigh.

"… Your sister?" Alyx asked from behind me, thoroughly unimpressed.

I turned to face her, and shrugged. "It was the first relation that came to mind."

"We look nothing alike."

I shrugged again. "Monsters are dumb, what can I say."

She mumbled something under her breath- something that sounded suspiciously rude- before she started walking toward the same door the Spriggan had walked through. Into the bar. "What was that thing?" She asked as we walked.

"Tree-face? He's a Spriggan."

Alyx frowned. "A Spriggan?"

"A faery from Cornwall."


	52. 51 -Alyx

**I'm too young to drink. -Alyx**

The broken neon sign hadn't been lying. This place was _filled_ with ugly mugs. Of both the monstrous and beverage holding variety.

Cinder insisted on entering the bar first, in front of me. I didn't argue. He could heal pretty fast- I couldn't. And the monsters seemed to know him, even if they didn't actually like him.

The place looked pretty shabby. The front porch- a long sheltered area just outside the front door- was deserted, despite the warm night. Cinder pushed open the door, its hinges groaning in protest, and the warm light spilled out. He stepped inside, and I followed.

It was quiet in the bar. There were a couple of tables scattered around, each with a handful of chairs. To one corner there was a pool table, but nobody was playing right now. The tree man- the Spriggan- from earlier sat in a corner with a second one, and I could feel his eyes on me as we walked inside. Only four other tables were populated- two with some cyclopes, one with a monster that looked human, from the back at least, and the final with three Scythian Dracaena. Only the Spriggans continued to watch us as we walked through the room, the other monsters too wrapped up in conversations, games, or their drinks to bother casting us even a glance after their initial inspection. Most had gone as far as Cinder's hair- I was so sure there was at least one feather mixed in with the regular strands- and decided we weren't interesting enough to give continued attention to.

I nudged Cinder to get his attention, turning away from the Spriggans. "Why's it so empty?" I whispered.

He gave me a weird look, "We're in the entryway, only monsters waiting for their buddies sit in here."

I frowned as he led me past the counter- nobody seemed to be manning it, and the shelves looked to be empty- and toward the back of the room. The only other building around here was the barn. He reached the door on the far side of the room, and opened it. Immediately a wall of sound rushed out, flooding the entry room in a tidal wave of laughter. The room beyond was bathed in a warm yellow light, far more welcoming than the blue-tinted fluorescent rods that lit the entry.

Cinder ushered me in, and shut the door behind us. There was a short corridor between the bar and the barn, dividing the two spaces. In the barn it was packed.

My battle instincts were working overdrive as I looked around, my eyes darting from corner to corner as I surveyed the room. There were monsters everywhere. Sitting at tables, singing a passable rendition of "Scary Monsters" by David Bowie on the raised platform I assumed was meant to be a stage, flying from the rafters, or standing around chatting. I saw about a dozen types I recognised, and at least three times as many that I didn't. I was surrounded by the enemy.

He picked his way through the group, and I followed as close behind as I could. Monsters glanced up from their tables, glaring at the pair of us, but otherwise minded their own business. A few raised their heads, their eyes fixed on me, before looking toward Cinder and losing interest. I supposed Cinder had some sort of reputation. I didn't like how that seemed to be the only reason I wasn't being killed right now.

He pushed past a pair of giants, mumbling an apology, and we finally reached the actual bar. These shelves were filled with bottles of liquid in hundreds of different shades and opacities, ranging from a thick, blood red liquid that I'm fairly certain was blood, to completely clear more traditional alcohol such as vodka. The seats at the counter were mostly empty, which surprised me. Monsters stood around us, in groups as they spoke or watched what little entertainment there was here, but they didn't sit. The griffin stopped and took a seat, gesturing for me to take the one beside him.

"This is underwhelming," I said eventually.

"Good." He glanced around the room, before his eyes came to rest on me. "Underwhelming means not exciting and not exciting means we're not dying."

He had a point.

There was a yell from the stage and the music abruptly cut off. I couldn't quite make out what was happening through the sea of monster heads, but there was the sound of splintering wood and tight strings snapping, before a new voices started up where the previous singer had stopped. None of the monsters seemed too bothered about this, so I supposed it must have been a regular occurrence.

A gruff voices spoke from the counter, and I turned to find the most human face I'd seen since we left Manhattan. "What can I getcha?" Not including Cinder, that was.

The bartender's face was lined and dark, his skin cracking around his nose and forehead. He seemed to have a permanent scowl, his eyebrows low and greying as he ignored Cinder, focusing his attention on me. He wore scruffy clothes, a flannel shirt contrasting a scraggly beard. From the thinning hair on his head was a pair of ears, the fur chestnut in colour. They looked equine in shape- closer to a horse than a donkey- and seemed to be in constant motion.

Beside me, Cinder opened his mouth to speak.

The bar tender shot him a sideways glare, and returned his bored gaze to me, holding a glass in his hand ready to take my order.

"Uh," I started, distracted by his ears. "Just some water would be fine?"

He stood there for a moment longer, regarding me carefully, before he gave a nod and trotted to the far end of the bar.

"The usual for me," Cinder called after him, the man- who I thought was a satyr at first- didn't respond. His hind legs were furred, but it wasn't the usual long, shaggy fur that marked satyrs out. No, the bar tender's hind quarters were those of a horse, the glossy chestnut fur matching the ears upon his head. His tail- which was also that of a horse's- was jet black in colour, although streaked with grey. I frowned, too distracted to pay attention to Cinder. I had heard of ipotanes before- well, read about them- but they never really seemed like a creature that existed until now. I suppose I should be used that by now.

The bird waved a hand in front of my face, and I blinked. "What?"

He gave me a weird look, before speaking with a lowered voice. "Tim here's the one who owns the bar," he said hurriedly, keeping his yellow eyes fixed on the monster as he fetched a second glass from the shelf. "It's thanks to his rules and iron clad fist that I didn't have to dust Treeface out there."

I doubted Cinder would have been able to defeat the Spriggan so soon after he got wounded, but I decided not to mention it.

"So just keep quiet and let me do the talking. I don't know if his rules extend to demigods." The bird paused for a second, mulling over what he'd just said. "Well actually I sincerely doubt they do, but-"

He cut off as Tim walked back into hearing range, a glass in each hand, the sound of his hooves muffled against hay-covered flagstones. The ipotane nodded toward Cinder, his permanent scowl seeming to deepen. "You'd better not shortchange me this time, kid. You still owe me three drachmas. You're lucky I'm even serving you."


	53. 52 -Cinder

**A plan. -Cinder**

The bartender had always made me nervous. Good old Tim was stronger than he looked, and he had lived a good few thousand years longer than I. Sure, he might not have had the sharp claws or teeth that I had, but those hooves could do plenty damage. There had been more than one occasion where a night at the bar had ended with a sharp hick to the head and waking in the bowels of Tartarus the next morning with a splitting headache.

It made me shudder just thinking about it.

Tim put down the glasses before us, shooting me another withering glare, before he trotted off to serve a cyclops at the other end of the bar.

I sat in silence with Alyx for a minute or two, picking up the glass in front of me and looking at its contents. I didn't actually have a usual. In fact, I don't think I ventured to the bar often enough to qualify for having a usual. The liquid inside was pale, with a faint blue glow. I hadn't the faintest clue what it was, but it seemed safe enough. I took a swig, and turned back to the demigod. It tasted alright. A bit too sweet for my liking, but it was bearable.

"Anyway-" I paused as the sharp aftertaste rolled through my mouth. "We need to ask some questions."

"Mhm." Alyx muttered, still looking around the room with a mixture of what I assumed was awe and fear. She seemed distracted.

I rolled my eyes, snapping my fingers in front of her face this time. "Focus," I said, my words as clipped as the sound. "If your cover gets blown from all your ogling then I'm just as dead as you are."

She looked back at me with distaste, but didn't reply with a scathing comment like I had thought she would. "So where do we start?"

On the stage, the act changed once again, as some monster got tired of listening to the previous one's drone. "We stick together- find a small group of monsters who look like they might know something, and improvise."

The girl narrowed her eyes, her gaze flicking between some of the tables piled with monsters that were barely visible through the crowd. "Improvise?" She didn't sound too thrilled about my amazing plan.

A sigh escaped me (Improvisation was _always_ a viable strategy), and I pulled Alyx from her seat, drink in one hand, and dived into the crowd. She flinched as he wove through bodies, the jolting reaction easy to discern. I scanned what little of the room I could make out as we walked, catching glimpses as the hoard moved and parted, searching for a viable target.

It was packed in here tonight. The bar was rarely quiet- it was one of the few places in the States where monsters could gather without fear of being torn apart by one another, so it tended to attract quite the crowd. But there was busy and there was over capacity. Tim had opened up the back doors of the old barn, the warm light from inside spilling into the darkness beyond along with a large number of monsters. Some of the more bestial monsters stayed without a roof over their head, communicating in various languages I couldn't begin to comprehend. On a regular night, the doors would remain firmly closed.

We made our way toward the edge of the room, where the crowd was slightly less dense. The air was noticeably cooler, and there was actually room to stop and breathe. I allowed Alyx a few moments to regain her composure as we leaned against the wall.

"Over there," I said eventually, pointing to a pair of short humanoids sitting a few tables to our left.

Alyx peered around the cyclopes between us, frowning at the sight of the two creatures. "What are they?"

I shrugged, starting to walk over. "No clue, but they look friendly enough."


	54. 53 -Alyx

**New friends. -Alyx**

They were a pair of short men, no taller than 2 feet, with wizened faces and soot-streaked grey hair to match. I was surprised, because they looked human enough to me- they didn't have claws or scales, or any of the usual features of a monster.

Cinder didn't leave me any time to think, and was already half-way to their table by the time I caught back up to him. The two monsters at the table hadn't noticed us yet, too deep in conversation to pay much attention to the rest of the world. The monster on the far side of the table- his hair slightly longer than his companion's- scowled at something the other said, baring sharp teeth in distaste. He opened his mouth to reply when his dark eyes found Cinder standing beside the table.

The griffin smiled, spreading his hands in a welcoming gesture. "Hi! Do you mind if we sit with you?"

The monsters exchanged glances, as if to say ' _Here we go again_ ', their gaze falling back on Cinder. Neither spoke for a moment, the tension growing, before the long-haired one let out a sigh. "Sure. Why not," he grumbled, looking between us. He spoke with a heavy welsh accent.

Cinder pulled up a chair for himself, and motioned for me to do the same. "So," Cinder started, reasserting the smile on his face as he leaned onto the table, "have you lovely fellows-"

"-'Eard about Gaia's army?" The long-haired monster leaned back in his chair, fixing Cinder with one of the most unimpressed stares I think I'd ever seen. I awkwardly sat myself down between him and Cinder, finally able to see the face of the second monster. This one looked younger, less worn around the edges than his fellow. So distracted was I with our company, the name 'Gaia' didn't register until a while later.

A frown flickered across Cinder's face, unnoticed by the two monsters as they both drank in the pause. "Of course," he said, "Gaia's army. The one with all the monsters. You _have_ heard about it?"

The older monster rolled his eyes, sighing into his drink. "Of _course_ we've 'eard about it. We're Knockers, we are, and there ain't nothen' in the earth we don't sense." He tipped his glass toward his companion, who nodded in agreement.

"We've known about 'em for years now," the younger monster- the younger Knocker- added.

I glanced at Cinder, who looked as confused as I felt. "Knockers?" I asked tentatively, the griffin narrowing his eyes in thought.

The long-haired Knocker leaned back in his chair, casting me a glare. "You come over 'ere asken' us for 'elp and you don't even know what we are?" The monster sounded more exasperated than annoyed, his companion shaking his head and tutting as he continued. "Must be Greek," he said with mild distaste, "or Roman. You lot never think 'bout the rest of us, off in yer own world." He paused momentarily to take another swig from his glass, and pointed to himself and his friend. "I'm Tommy, and this is Siors, We're Knockers. Celtic origin, 'course, 'n we live in caves."

"We knock on mine walls!" the second knocker added, a grim smile spreading across his face, "we like causen' cave ins."

I tried to suppress the shudder that ran down my spine. As the pair of them clinked glasses for the third time and drank I shot Cinder a glare, doing my best to convey as much annoyance as possible. ' _Friendly, huh?_ '

He shrugged innocently in reply, ' _How was I supposed to know?_ '

The knockers- Tommy and 'George', was it?- burst out laughing at some unspoken joke, slamming their glasses back on the table. The liquid inside sloshed with the force, and I did my best to look nonchalant. I was a monster here, not a demigod. Killing mortals and demigods was normal for me. Completely normal.

Tommy, the older knocker, turned back to us, wiping a tear from his eye, his smile fading. "Anyway," he started, "You- Greeks, was it?"

Cinder nodded, unfazed by the pair, "Greek Griffins."

The Knocker's face wrinkled in disbelief, "I thought Griffins were more feathery."

The griffin nodded, "Usually, but it's easier to have a drink in human shape." I did my best to smile and nod, hoping the two monsters wouldn't ask any further questions. From what I had read in my hasty research session back at camp, griffins were not creatures that went around shapeshifting. Cinder was some weird freak of nature type thing.

Thankfully, both were a little too drunk to be thinking straight. "Understandable," Tommy admitted, the matter apparently forgotten. "We've 'ad a lot of you Europeans asken' us where your 'earth mother''s army is, thinken' we'd be knowen' where she is. You'd be right, of course, but it can get frustraten'. 'S all Gaia this 'n Gaia that." He leaned back in his chair, looking at the two of us. "The second that Kronos feller went back to the pits we've 'ad even more of ye asken' us."

"Well," Cinder said, pausing briefly to finish his glass, "You know us Greeks, always itching to fight the Gods."

Siors chuckled, "Too right, you lot don't get on with your friends upstairs, do ye? 'S all them demigods, our lot don't 'ave wee babes runnen' around stabbing anythen' that moves."

The griffin nodded, his tone a little too honest if you ask me, "That they don't."

As the conversation continued, I found my mind beginning to wander. Cinder laughed with the pair of knockers, inching closer to our actual goal of finding out where this army of monsters was at the current time. The two men seemed adamant to keep moving off in tangents however, recalling distant days where the demigods weren't as aggressive as they were nowadays, or back when they had some respect for monsters. Honestly, I stopped listening when they complained about the Greek pantheon for the third time.

Instead I looked around the room. There was a constant buzz of movement as monsters mingled and spoke to one another, collecting in small groups of monsters of the same species for the most part. I could see a few mixed groups here and there, where a selection of cyclopes, giants, spriggans, and other monsters were obviously too drunk to care about any differences. On the other side of the room, a bar fight had broken out, two cyclopes getting ready to hit one another until one of them dropped. I glanced toward the bar, catching sight of Tim vaulting over the counter, his equine legs eerily graceful, and storming through the crowds. Then the swarms converged and I couldn't make out any more. Through the din I could hear grunts of pain and a few surprised yelps, though.

My gaze drifted upwards, absent-mindedly scanning all possible locations for assault or ambush. It was a habit you had to fall into as a demigod, constantly keeping an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. Granted, in a situation like this that cautiousness did very little, but I couldn't help looking around.

A few harpies roosted in the rafters, forming small nests out of discarded pieces of hay and leaves, making themselves comfortable as they spoke to each other. I'd never really thought of harpies as social creatures. There were a few other monsters up near the roof, most species I didn't recognise- strange amalgamations of existing monsters or animals.

I was about to return my attention to the conversation between Cinder and the two knockers when something caught my eye. In the darkest part of the loft, amidst a few rotting haybales, I saw a glint of light. Two green pinpricks glowed from the darkness, watching me intently. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end, and I suppressed the shudder that threatened to move through me.

I turned back around in my chair, where Siors was laughing heartily at something Tommy had just said, while Cinder leaned back in his chair and grinned. The griffin glanced at me, his smile fading as he read my expression.

"Sorry to interrupt," I said, the two knockers refocusing their attention on me. Siors seemed to be struggling to keep his eyes straight. "I just need to borrow Cinder for a second." I forced a polite smile, standing up and beckoning for the griffin to follow.

He raised an eyebrow, but said nothing, rising from his chair and following.

I quickly lost sight of our table in the crowd of monsters, and turned back to face him. My smile melted. "Something's watching us," I hissed, glancing back toward the rafters. There was a darker shape within the shadow, barely visible. I couldn't make out its eyes from this angle, but I could still feel its gaze locked on us.

Cinder looked over my shoulder, eyes narrowing. He focused on the shape and muttered a curse. "We need to leave," he said a split second later, grabbing my arm and starting to pull me toward a large set of doors to the near side of the room. I couldn't see the door we had entered through with all of the bodies in the way, but the ones we were headed to were full sized barn doors. The rails they rested on were shiny with use, glinting silver in the orange light. One stood open, the tide of monsters spilling into whatever land was beyond.

The sudden hand on my arm instinctively made me want to resist, and I pulled back against Cinder, stopping him. "You know what it is?" I asked in a low voice. As much as I disliked the bar, I couldn't help but think that the only reason whatever it was hadn't attacked was because of the bartender- Tim. In any other situation, monsters would fight amongst one another, as age-old feuds flared up and resulted in arguments that I imagined only escalated when alcoholic beverages were introduced. To keep this many monsters tame, the horse-man must have had some crazy power. I wasn't exactly thrilled to be giving up what little protection I could get. Not when I didn't know what to expect outside.

Annoyance crossed his face, his grip tightening momentarily. "It's the one of the few monsters who would see through our, uh, _disguise_ without a second glance." He looked back to the rafters, his pupils slits as he looked through the light. "Now get moving, we need to try and lose it before it calls your bluff in front of all these other monsters." He tugged on my arm again, and I relented.

He moved quickly, weaving between bodies with a strange grace you wouldn't expect from a creature that spent most of his time in a shape easily three times as big as his current one. It was all I could do to stop myself being pulled over. I had at least some experience in dealing with large crowds- especially chaotic ones- but nothing quite like this one. Monsters grumbled angrily as we passed, raising glasses if they had hands, or baring sharp fangs if they did not.

"So which one of these few monsters is it?" I asked. We were a few steps from the door, the cool air from outside washing over me.

"See for yourself," he said, turning. He raised a hand to gesture at the ceiling, in continuous motion. There was an edge to his voice, a sense of urgency.

Behind us, the pair of eyes had revealed themselves to belong to a owl-like creature. Its feathers were pure white in colour, black flecks forming rows on its chest that spread to its wings. It had moved closer to us, its sharp beak glinting as the edge caught the light. It stepped closer, long forearms stretching along the rafters as talon-tipped fingers curled around the wooden beams. Its hindquarters came into the light, the feathers changing to fur around its midsection, replaced with a soft-spotted silver coat. With a start I recognised it as a griffin, although the combination of feline and bird was vastly different to Cinder.

I turned back to see him eyeing the other griffin nervously, waiting for me to turn back around so he could drag me through the back.

He wasted no time, dragging me out of the door. From behind us, a shrill screech rang through the barn. In an instant, a rather large hellhound was in front of Cinder, a soft growl warning the pair of us to stand still. The other griffin- the owl- had switched beam, choosing one that was much closer to us. The monsters in the barn fell silent, heads turning in our direction.

"****." Cinder's voice was the only one in the space of around ten seconds.

After that? Well, I don't think I would be exaggerating if I said all hell broke loose.


	55. 54 -Alyx

**So sorry about the formatting errors! This should be readable at the very least.**

 **We get chased out of the establishment. -Alyx**

In an instant the hellhound was pouncing, claws outstretched as saliva dripped from its teeth. Cinder shoved me one way as he fell the other, narrowly missing the opportunity to become dogfood in the process. The hound crashed into the ground, its snout snapping upwards to look at me as it landed on nothing but air, white fangs glinting in the light from the barn.

Instinctively I reached for my sword, my knuckles white around the hilt as I unsheathed the blade. The hellhound paused for a splitsecond at the sight of it, its snarl faltering. It regained its composure as I raised Skotono before me, cursing the gods as my hand trembled.

Cinder yelled something from behind the hellhound, ducking beneath a blow from a troop of Dracaena, who appeared to be equipped with pool cues instead of actual weapons. The cue splintered on impact, the griffin unleashing a torrent of curses as he backed away. His words were obscured by the low rumble of the hellhound before me.

It jumped again, missing me by a hair's breadth as I ducked beneath it. I whipped around, brandishing my sword like a flaming torch as a wave of monsters rushed from the open doors of the barn. Most of the bar's patrons had, thankfully, been inside. The few monsters that had been too big to fit through the entrance lurked just beyond the dim light cast upon the yard area by a pair of filament bulbs fixed either side of the barn doors. I noticed a few too many sets of reflective eyes in the darkness, in small clusters of three or four. I didn't particularly want to find out what those were. Cinder appeared beside me, having managed to escape the Dracaena for now. They slithered towards us menacingly, their pool cues making surprisingly effective weapons. The hellhound howled in annoyance, its battle cry joined by a number of others. They were advancing slowly but surely, and I could hear the movement of the monsters in the darkness as they moved to surround us.

"On my cue," Cinder started, his voice a whisper, "Turn around and run before they surround us."

I glanced at him, "Are you serious? We can't get away from Hellhounds on foot!"

"Yeah well I can't switch forms and take off with you as a passenger before they kill us either," he snapped, taking a step backwards as the monsters advanced. "Even if I could take off in that time, our feathery friend over there will be on us in seconds, she'll take off the second she sees us flying and catch us before I get a chance to start moving. It's our best option." He paused to take a breath, "We run for the trees-"

He was interrupted as an impatient cyclops lurched forwards, and the two of us broke into a sprint.

The trees were only a few feet behind us, the woods thick around the bar. If the trees hadn't been that close, I don't think either one of us would have made it. We ran behind the first tree we came across, breaking line of sight with the monsters not a second too late, as the charging cyclops streaked past us to the left. We didn't stop, immediately pushing away from the trunk and continuing to run into the trees.

I was somewhat experienced in running through forests, with the weekly games of capture the flag. I leaped over roots and fallen branches, the few brambles that snagged on my clothes removed in a split second as I continued forwards. Cinder seemed to be faring about as well, searching the canopies ahead of us for somewhere the leaves weren't as dense. The monsters behind us yelled and snarled, a few bursts of fire illuminating the way ahead as some fire-breathing serpents hissed in frustration.

Glancing behind, I realised with dismay that a few hellhounds were gaining on us. Our initial dash to the trees had proved to be quite effective in putting more distance between us, but the monsters had since recovered. Sadly in this case, four legs was proving better than two.

"There!" Cinder cried from beside me. I glanced over to see him pointing towards a break in the trees, a small area covered in knee-length grass. I veered toward it, following Cinder.

We slipped through a narrow gap between two trees, bursting into the clearing as our nearest pursuer, a large black hellhound with foul breath, slammed into the trunks with the force of a full size elephant, and crumpled to the ground. Cinder took a few steps back, taking a deep breath.

The griffin slammed into him, knocking him off his feet into the ground, shrieking and snapping its beak.  
I lurched forward, bringing my sword up to swing, stopping mid-way.

The white griffin was thrown into the air, Cinder snarling as he switched forms and got to his feet. His feathers were fluffed in agitation, his wings splayed menacingly. The enemy griffin regained its bearings, spreading its wings to steady itself. It looked up, its own snarl half-formed before it stopped dead in its tracks.

Cinder mirrored its actions, his own snarl trailing off, his feathers flattening a little.

I frowned, reaching Cinder's side. They stood staring at each other, unmoving. My sword still brandished, I nudged him with my elbow. "What are you waiting for?" I hissed, the hellhounds that had been further behind slowing as they entered the clearing. They were low to the ground, stalking us as they waited to see the outcome of the fight between the two griffins. They seemed just as confused as I was.

Cinder glanced at me, his yellow eyes revealing nothing, before he flicked the wing closest to me. "Get on, I'll explain when we're out of here."

Our escape calmed down considerably after that. Cinder flew with relative ease, the darkness not seeming to bother him in the slightest. The few flying monsters at the bar that night hadn't taken up the chase, leaving us to the mercy of the land-dwelling monsters and the other griffin.

Ah, right. The other griffin. It trailed about twenty feet behind us, its white feathers and fur oddly luminous in the moonlight. I could feel its green eyes fixed on my back as we travelled, and I didn't need any demigodly powers to know it still wanted to kill me. I suppose what mattered was that it hadn't. Yet. Cinder was strangely quiet on the matter, ignoring my attempts to start a conversation, although I supposed he must have known the other griffin. You don't just mutually decide to not kill each other after an intense chase and fight if you don't know a griffin personally.

I kept my mind focused on the mystery of the other griffin as we flew, doing my best to try and forget that we were in fact quite high above the ground. The forests had given way to fields, left behind in favour of winding roads and the occasional house.

After about an hour, Cinder started to descend. For once, he didn't dive to the ground or crash, instead coming in gently and landing with hardly a bump. I dismounted, a shiver running down my spine. As the second griffin came in to land, I found my hand once again resting on the hilt of Skotono.


	56. Oh no it's another update

Hello! Hi! This doesn't have anything to do with the story, sorry!

It's November, and I'm currently wrapped up in NaNoWriMo. Like last year, A Tale of Griffins and Half Bloods is my project. I'm really enjoying writing this so it's being thrown into the mix again. Given the month's frantic nature, I'm not going to be posting anything here until after the event has ended. For a few weeks of December though, I should have very regular updates as I go through the backlog that I'm gathering this month. In theory I could basically double the amount we already have here though, so it's worth it (Unless I start going off on tangents in other projects)!

Sorry about all of this, I'm not sure enough in what I'm writing right now to throw it out there just yet. I would prefer to have a few more checks over my writing that I just don't have time for right now.

Thank you again for reading this story~

-Skelly


	57. 55 -Cinder

((Sorry guys, I wasn't so great at NaNo this year e.e I have a few chapters I can add here over the next week or so, and I'll still be trying to update somewhat regularly?))

 **A heart to heart with my friend about her half blood-cidal tendencies. -Cinder**

Alyx watched her with evident mistrust. I couldn't really blame the girl, my… _acquaintance_ had, after all, tried to kill us before realising she knew me. I stepped between the demigod and… Hm. I suppose her name would be Eris in mortal languages, named after the goddess, hoping to dispel some of the tension.

My fellow griffin landed softly as ever, her wings silent on the breeze. She cast me an accusing glare, before looking at the demigod, appraising her.

" _Be nice,_ " I warned, speaking in the tongue of griffins. Alyx looked at me with narrowed eyes, her grip tightening on the hilt of her sword.

"So?" The demigod demanded, an edge that I hadn't heard in a few days returning to her voice. "What's the story? You trust it?"

Eris clicked her beak in irritation, her talons piercing the ground. " _Why are you with god-spawn, Cinder?_ "

"Would you both calm down for two seconds?" I snapped, "I promise there is nothing either of you will gain from attempting to kill the other."

Alyx wrinkled her nose in disgust, "Attempting?"

" _You wouldn't last a minute,_ " the griffin growled.

I snarled at the both of them, baring my teeth at Eris and giving my best death-glare to Alyx. Eris's ears flattened against her feathered head, but she relaxed her poise a little. Alyx wasn't as receptive.

"It tried to _kill_ us and you just expect me to be fine with that?" She took a step back, her knuckles white against the bronze hilt as she started to draw the blade.

I switched shape, spreading my hands in what I hoped was a placating gesture. "She's a griffin from a neighbouring flock," I started, gesturing toward Eris who seemed quite surprised by the sudden change. "Her name is Eris."

"Eris?" Alyx asked, stifling a humourless laugh.

"I know, named for the Greek goddess of strife it does seem quite fitting- but she is not our enemy." She didn't look convinced, her sword remaining half-drawn. "She attacked us, yes, but that's because she didn't recognise me."

" _Your human shape is unnatural,_ " the griffin muttered as if on cue, " _So bare and frail._ " I elected to ignore that particular remark.

Still Alyx hesitated. "She didn't recognise your human shape?"

I shook my head, "I've been in this shape more over the past week than I have over the last decade. I've only used it when interacting with mortals or when visiting Tim's bar." I took a step toward Alyx, my hands palm-up. "Eris made a mistake. She's trustworthy, believe me. Now please put your sword away, it's making me nervous."

The demigod didn't move for a moment, and I wondered whether I had made a terrible mistake getting within sword-range. I had started trying to decide what I would do to pass the time in Tartarus when I heard the sound of a sword sliding back into its scabbard and relief washed over me.

"I don't trust her," Alyx said, her hand releasing the sword's hilt, "But we didn't die in that bar and we found out something useful, so I'll trust you."

To be completely honest, I had all but forgotten about my conversation with the knockers up until that point.

" _Wonderful. She_ trusts _you. Why, exactly, does she trust you? We're monsters, Cinder. They shouldn't trust us._ " I looked back at Eris, who still watched me cautiously.

I turned back to face my fellow griffin, trying to figure out how best to describe everything that had happened in the last two weeks. " _Just… give me a moment,_ " I said eventually, going back through the events of the last few hours in my mind. " _There's something I needed to tell Alyx._ "

" _First name basis?_ " Eris noted, her tail flicking in agitation.

Alyx looked between the two of us. "I'm going to take a wild guess here and say you have some catching up to do." She slung the pack from her back. "I'll scout around, make sure everything is quiet." I took a step forward to stop her, figuring it was a bad idea to let the monster-beacon run around the fields alone, but one look from Alyx stopped me in my tracks. Her expression conveyed a clear message- _I need to be alone_.

Raising my hands in resignation, I moved back. "Yell if you need us."

Her nod was curt as she dropped her bag at her feet, stalking off into the darkness without another word. Eris and I watched her trudge away, and I made a mental note to speak to her later.

When she disappeared from view, I turned back to the griffin. Her white plumage seemed to shine in the darkness, her reflective eyes making her seem more like a glowing-eyed demon than the familiar griffin I knew. She padded forward, fur bristling as she approached.

" _It doesn't suit you,_ " she said, her voice low. " _The shape of one of them. It is unfitting._ "

I didn't take my eyes from her, turning a slow circle as she moved past. " _It fits just fine,_ " I muttered, sitting down on the grass. Almost immediately I regretted this choice, as the grass was slightly damp.

Eris didn't say anything, coming to a stop back in front of me and lying down. She folded her wings on her back, the black-speckled feathers sleek and immaculate as ever.

I told her everything.

Well, almost everything. I left out some of the details, such as my brief blackouts and the strange dreams I'd experienced over the last few days. It didn't feel right explaining those.

Alyx returned about an hour after she'd left, appearing seemingly from nowhere and picking up her bag. She murmured something about sleep, gesturing over to a small group of trees set in the corner of the field.

As she walked away, Eris spoke. " _You chose a strange partner in crime, Cinder._ " It was the first thing she'd said since I started telling her about my grand adventure, having listened intently as I spoke.

I appreciated that about Eris. She listened where others might ask questions, waiting for explanations to be finished before asking for clarification. She watched with calculated interest, taking in each detail and thinking about it carefully. Of course, that didn't stop her from drawing wild conclusions before these explanations had been given.

I shrugged, stretching my arms. " _She's surprised me many times in the short time we have known each other, I owe her and her kind my life._ "

We sat in silence for a few moments. " _Why did you go to the demigods first? My flock- we were closer._ " The griffin tilted her head as she spoke, as though looking at me from a different angle would yield new answers.

A soft laugh escaped my lips, and I tilted my own head as I met Eris' gaze. " _You know full well how your flock feels about all of these wars with the gods- and how much those views clash with mine. I would find no aid from your like._ "

She looked hurt, but her acceptance of the comment confirmed my suspicions. " _Not all of us wished to blindly follow Gaia, Cinder. Days after they visited you, they came to us. I heard tell of a massacre and found the scene myself after the Elders agreed to aid the army in whatever way we could. They pledged themselves to the Earth Mother's aid._ " She said the last sentence with a growl, her glowing eyes seeming to intensify with her anger. " _I do not care for Gaia's plans._ "

Alyx shifted at the base of the tree, turning in her sleep.

" _What brought you to Tim's bar?_ " I asked.

It was Eris's turn to roll her eyes, stretching out her forepaws and resting her beak on them, following my gaze and watching the demigod. " _I decided to leave the flock for a while, wait for this to blow over. Some part of my knew that not all of you had been slaughtered. I suppose I hoped you weren't one of the dust piles. You always were entertaining._ " She paused, readjusting her wings. " _I remembered you mentioning Tim's bar before- a place for lost monsters, a meeting place. It took a bit of asking around, but I found it. I hoped it would give me some purpose for the next few years, or perhaps some clue to where some of your missing flock fluttered off to._ "

" _And you found us? Alyx and I?_ "

She nodded. Or at least, the griffin equivalent. " _I arrived perhaps yesterday. I would have left today without incident had I not caught sight of you. Or should I say caught scent?_ " She turned her head back to me, green eyes falling on my orange Camp Half-Blood T-shirt. " _The two of you reek of griffins and blood. I don't think the other monsters cared enough to ask, and they seemed to recognise you like that, but I know the scent of your blood. I thought you were demigods, fresh from slaying you. I was at least partially right- the girl still smells of Gods. It was enough to convince the others when I called, as you saw._ " She fell quiet.

My human shape was not something I used around fellow griffins. I raised my hand, looking at the spirals of my fingerprints. Very few of my own kind had seen this form, and even fewer could actually recognise me when placed beside any other human. Eris was a member of neither of these groups. Of course, she knew I could shape shift to a limited degree- it was something I was known for amongst the other flocks- but that was a card I usually kept close to my chest. There was no room for humans in a world made exclusively for griffins.

I hadn't realised it was so quiet until Eris spoke again. Her voice was soft and gentle, the edge gone. " _I am sorry. For tonight, and for-_ " She stopped herself, turning her head away.

We sat for a while longer, the silence settling between us like a thick blanket.

Eventually I stood, starting to walk toward the tree Alyx slept beneath. " _You're welcome to travel with us for a while,_ " I said to the griffin behind me. " _Alyx should understand._ "

 _I think,_ I thought to myself.

As I walked away I switched forms, stretching my wings either side of me before tucking them away on my back, settling in for the night a few paces from the demigod, preparing myself for a night of light sleeping.


	58. 56 -Cinder

p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"span style="text-decoration: underline;"strongspan style="color: #333333; font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif, Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica;"Like a house on fire. -Cinder/span/strong/span/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"I was woken by a grinding sound, my ears twitching as I opened my eyes. I had slept without dreams, drifting just below the surface of consciousness, ready to be roused by the slightest commotion. Sunlight filtered through the tree's highest branches, stained green by the leaves. In front of me Alyx was crouched, leaning over her bronze blade, running a flat stone wedge along its edge. With each movement the sword seemed to shine brighter, fine dust from the sharpening stone glittering as it was carried away by the wind. Alyx had her back to the tree, a position perfectly suited to watching both me and the white-furred griffin that slept a few metres away./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Eris lay outside of the tree's shadow, settled at the edge of the field where the grass almost completely obscured her form. I was certain the griffin was awake, but she showed no signs of movement./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"I raised my head wearily, stretching my forepaws. "You move too quietly," I said, watching as Alyx drew the stone over the blade's edge again./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"The demigod didn't pause, turning her head a fraction, just enough for me to see her raised eyebrow. "I don't see how that's a problem."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"I shrugged, pushing myself to my feet and stretching my hind legs. "Usually I wake at the slightest sound, it's what makes me so great at keeping watch."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"She snorted, her hands pausing. A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "You mean like how you kept watch night before last? You were completely out of it, nothing would have woken you."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""I was injured, that's different," I protested, changing back into human shape. "I needed my beauty sleep."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""You have a point there, you could probably do with some more."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"I gasped, taking a step back in feigned shock, my fingers over my heart. "That was uncalled for. You're just jealous of my good looks."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"She shook her head, the smile spreading to the rest of her face as she returned to her sword sharpening. I sat down beside her, leaning against the tree whilst being careful to stay up-wind of the celestial bronze. The smell of the stuff put me on edge./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"She finished up her sword, replacing the stone in her bag and pulling out a small square of cloth that she used to polish its surface./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"There was a pause before she spoke. "The griffin is staying then, is it?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Eris," I corrected, refocusing my attention on the shape in the grass. "She's not our enemy." I recounted the relevant parts of my conversation with her last night. Namely her reasons for trying to kill us. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Besides," I said when I had finished, "The two of us go way back."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Alyx inspected the sword's blade. "Oh? Do tell." She still didn't sound convinced. I suppose I couldn't really blame her. I sighed, leaning back against the tree trunk./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Eris… she was a member of a neighbouring flock," I started, trying to decide where exactly to start. "Even before the huge move to the Americas, before we left Europe, their territory wasn't far from ours. We would encounter one another on hunts. We were friendly most of the time, but occasionally there would be a fight..."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"The griffin in the grass lifted her head, and I trailed off. Eris stood, leaning backwards to stretch her forelegs. span style="box-sizing: border-box;""em style="box-sizing: border-box;"The first time I saw you, I pounced on you from the trees,/em" she recalled./span/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"The memory brought a smile to my face. "You caught me off guard. My first solo hunt, first time out of the nest, so to speak."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Alyx frowned, looking between the two of us. "She said something?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"I nodded, forgetting that the demigod couldn't understand Eris. I repeated what she had said. "Most monsters understand mortal languages, even if they can't speak them."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"She rolled her eyes, "Yeah. I got that."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Eris strode toward us, her tail flicking from side to side. Her dark spots shimmered in the sunlight, the surrounding white fur almost blinding. "I will take you up on your offer for the time being," she said as she neared, "It sounds like you could use as much help as you can get."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"I translated for Alyx. The demigod examined the white griffin once more, before she begrudgingly agreed. "I guess once you've got one griffin, you might as well get another."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"I shot her a glare, to which she responded with a smug smile./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""Where are we headed?" She asked eventually, straightening. She dusted off her pants./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"With a start, I realised I hadn't actually told her what I'd learnt from the knockers after she'd so valiantly stopped listening. "West. Gaia's army is currently headed toward the Rockies. The knockers sensed movement as they got closer to the underworld- we should be able to catch them as they reach the mountains."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"The demigod frowned, her head tilting to one side as she looked at me. "It'll take them weeks to get there by foot, and I don't see an army's worth of monsters filing onto a cross-country train."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Eris rolled her eyes. "em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Demigods these days. I don't understand how they survive so long./em"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Alyx's frown deepened to a glare directed at the griffin. "She said something mean, didn't she."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"I couldn't help but sigh. "Look, there are more methods to travel than mortal means. Especially when it's an army that big, with the variety of monsters they have. Magic would be bountiful in their ranks. At the rate they're travelling, our friends Tommy and Siors estimated they would reach their destination in a week and a half tops."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Alyx didn't say anything for a second, waiting for something. "You're kidding."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"I shook my head. "Nope."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;""How the hell are we going to get to the Rockies in a week and a half? It took us hours to get here, and we're only one state over. Do we have some mystical travel method up our sleeves? Did I miss the part where griffins could fly across the land at light speed?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Eris gave an indignant trill, the feathers on her neck fluffing./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"I shrugged, gesturing toward Eris. "We can make it to the Rockies in just over a week no problem. I was injured flying here yesterday, but I'm just about healed up." I paused, lifting up my shirt to check that the hole in my gut had indeed just about finished healing. The skin over the area was decorated in quite the colourful bruise, but there wasn't an actual hole there anymore. My own dried blood still stained both of our t-shirts, and I was starting to long for a clean of some kind. I got the feeling Alyx felt the same. "It might take us a little longer with a passenger, but if Eris-"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"The griffin's plumage fluffed up in its entirety, making her appear almost twice as big as she usually did. She splayed her wings, fixing me with a cold glare. "em style="box-sizing: border-box;"No way. I offered help as an extra set of claws, not as a glorified pack donkey./em"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"I raised my hands. "Alright, even without Eris's contribution I think I can handle having you as my passenger anyway. I always had the better stamina, after all."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"Eris bared her own teeth, her feathers settling by a fraction. "em style="box-sizing: border-box;"As if/em."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica;"I smiled at my fellow griffin, staring her down. "How about we get going? Time is only going to tick down, after all."/p 


End file.
